Heroes of Domino City: Zane
by TheSingingSword
Summary: Zane Truesdale uses his intellect to design a high-tech suit of armor and a mechanical beast, The Cyber Dragon, to hunt down evil in the dark streets of Domino City. [AU-Fantasy]
1. Part I: The Cyber Knight

**Part 1: **

**The Heart of Helios**

* * *

**Zane**

* * *

**September 20th**

**Year 17 4AOS**

Billionaire. Good looking. Quiet. Those were just a couple of words to describe the future Steward of Eredas, Zane of House Truesdale.

At a young age, Zane was groomed to become the Right Hand of the King as the Steward of Eredas. For generations, House Truesdale had served the Daltons, and soon it would be Zane's time, for his father promised that if anything were to happen to King Eldon, he would step down as Steward and bless Zane with that title, with the legendary Cyber Dragons serving as his badge of office. Zane benefited a lot from this prestigious title he would soon earn.

More often than not, he walked about the streets in flashy clothes and driving expensive cars to various dueling arenas so he could play in the daily tournaments held there, and destroy the competition with his beloved Cyber Dragons. But despite rolling around in such luxury, Zane was someone who prefers to keep to himself.

The press - like leeches feeding off the lifestyle of the Dalton Royal Family and their Stewards - sadly did not find him walking out of theatres, casinos, or clubs with a gorgeous model in each arm. No, instead, he would calmly walk out of libraries, museums, and art galleries alone or with his friend, Michael Dalton the Crown Prince of Eredas and ruler of Domino City.

Zane and Prince Michael were quite the duo. A brotherhood forged since the day they were born. Be it the royal court, the streets, or even the battlefield, Zane and Prince Michael were inseparable.

Some nights (If they got bored) they gathered armies of magicians, summoners, and wizards downtown to battle the threat of mage gangs known as the Aeons.

Zane was neither a magician, a wizard, or a summoner, so he let his Cyber Dragons do the talking in Duels.

Zane's Dueling skills were top-tier; said to rival that of Seto Kaiba and even Yugi Muto, with an impressive undefeated streak at Duelist Academy, the school where he was taught to play since first grade.

Now, he would advance to the university levels and learn new methods of Dueling, magic, and politics so he, along with his peers, could grow to become good leaders in the future. Zane was good with the politics of the kingdom, but it was in Duel Monsters were he excelled most of all.

For this, the Aeons never really stuck to their end of the bargain per terms of the Duel because, to the surprise of no one, Zane always won. They would go into a rage and attack, not that it mattered to Zane. If things got heated up -and the always did-, Michael and his army would deal with the gangs with their magic.

The gangs almost always ran when their leader ordered them to attack. They ran from Michael especially, due to his strange ties with the paranormal. His ability to conjure strange beasts from the realm of shadows known as Pandemonium sent the troublemakers into a panic and flee from battle, thus freeing many districts from their control.

Zane's involvement in the turf wars against the gangs painted a huge target on his head. The Aeons wanted blood. His blood. And they would gather their best officers together to devise a plan that would change Zane's life forever, and transform him into one of Domino City's greatest heroes.

* * *

It all began one rainy summer's eve. This night was important because it was the birthday of a dear friend of his.

Alexis Rhodes the Princess of Lorin and ruler of the city of Aquarius. And thanks to the media, rumors about those two spread like wildfire. They are seen walking out of malls and having lunch together by the sea when Alexis's mother arrived on her seasonal visits to the city.

The pair were often seen having strolls through the flowers and hedges of the lavish Dragon Gardens District; Zane sometimes blessing the beautiful princess with an occasional rose. When studying at Duelist Academy, they were always spotted standing by the lighthouse at night where they would talk until the wee hours of the morning.

Some well-known members of the press often say the both of them have a 'thing' for each other. Don't pay them no mind. Zane and Alexis are nothing more than close friends. But what are celebrities without the occasional gossip every now and then, right?

"Trying to woo me again are we?" Alexis said, opening her gift. A bracelet made of diamonds and glowing mana crystals. "Must have cost you a fortune."

"It was on sale," Zane said, steering his sleek, stealth-black, car through the streets of the Dragon Gardens District.

He followed the GPS on his dashboard, trying really hard to find the bar Alexis wanted to go to and celebrate. It was hard for him to keep his eyes on the road with her sitting next to him. Especially in that short, white party dress that she was wearing.

Her tiara, worth a million in Star Chips, glittered on her head, as did the stilettos on her feet covered in real diamonds and mother of pearl. She looked like an angel sent forth from the Goddess of Love herself.

He cleared his throat. "I know how much you've always wanted one," he said referring to his gift. "If I'm not mistaken, that will boost your Mana by a significant amount. You can finally summon something a lot more impressive, I wager."

Alexis gave a soft breathy laugh and put on the bracelet. "You're not going to stop until I summon a Cyber Blader, are you?"

"I just want my friend to be the best," said Zane. "Nothing criminal about that, is there?"

"No, but A) Ever since I told you I had an interest in the arts of Summoning, you've showered me with trinkets that boost Mana. And B) You are going to tug on the heartstrings of your fangirls and create a hubbub on their blogs. I can't even hold your hand without it becoming headline news. You know, there are rumors going around about marriage."

The car jerked. Alexis felt herself being strangled by her seatbelt. The car behind them honked at the sudden breaking.

"Yeah," said Alexis.

Zane grunted. A flash of lightning lit the cityscape. "Don't these people have anything better to do than to poke their noses where it doesn't belong? I'm getting awfully tired of this. And your mother doesn't like me. My family served as a White Rose in the civil war thousands of years ago. The honor of the Red Rose still burns hot inside of her. Every time I come to dinner, she gives me this horrible stare."

Alexis burst out laughing.

"I'm serious," said Zane, fixing his black tie, which he felt was starting to strangle him. "Every time these losers post an article about us, things escalate between me and your mother."

"She still loves you," Alexis answered, looking out the rain-splattered window, marveling at all the different night clubs to enjoy. She just hoped Zane would park soon so they can relish in Domino's nightlife themselves. "And she always will. Don't let that silly War of the Southern Roses bother you too much. My family is over that. The Daltons were White Roses, too, but she still sees them as an ally to the kingdom. She won't let past differences get between us."

"She will if it involves her beloved little girl," Zane added. "Ever since Atticus disappeared, she's been awfully protective of you and your purity. She'll have my head if she finds out I'm taking you to a nightclub. You know she hates you going to those places. Quite frankly, so do I. It's no place for a lady, let alone a Princess."

"Don't worry about me and don't mind her," said Alexis. "Atticus's disappearance was a severe blow to my family. He was to be king after all. Don't blame her if she becomes…selective of the people I meet. Especially the men of my life."

"What if those men included Prince Yuri?" Zane asked.

Alexis's fingers curled up. The rings flashed. One of them was a beautiful signet she got from the King of Games himself, Master Yugi Muto.

"That's a little too deep," she replied. "Territory I'd rather not go into. Evelyn is already having to deal with that. Poor thing."

Zane chuckled. "Despite him being a Delgado, he was adopted by a member of House Wallcroft. He's a Plantegrast from a certain point of view. A Red Rose like your mother. I'm pretty sure once Yuri comes back, she'll have you join in on the Princess Wars to secure your right to him."

"Those wars are crap," Alexis replied spitefully. "Hundreds of knights and thousands of brave warriors are dying in droves because of spoiled princesses fighting to marry the Prince."

"Not just any Prince," said Zane. "Yuri is THE Prince. The Prince who will become High King of Termnnia and master of the God Cards. Not to mention the billions and billions of tons of gold in the old vaults underneath the Spire of the Kings could do well for your economy. Yuri is a fine prize for any girl to marry. Even you."

"No thanks," Alexis said, shutting her eyes and sticking her nose in the air. "My only love is Dueling."

"You really are the Iron Princess," laughed Zane. "No one can get through to that furnace you call a heart."

"Ha!" Alexis said, snapping her fingers."And I intend to keep it that way. I belong to no man, and neither does my kingdom. I can rule it myself without any help."

"If you say so," said Zane, trying to quickly think of another topic. "So, you geared up for school next summer? Prince Yuri is going to be there."

"I am, but Mother wants me in the White Dragon Dorm next time. I have to attend that fancy prep school in Elleria in order to join. Luckily, Evelyn is going to be there, too, so I won't be alone. As for Prince Yuri joining us, I don't care."

Zane lightly snorted and made a left turn towards a plaza full of fountains. "Of course you don't," he said.

Alexis shook her head. "Are you studying to be in the dorm, too?"

"I'm already there," Zane said, stopping in front a black truck that halted for the red light.

"Good graces of Prince Michael's father, no doubt," Alexis replied whimsically.

"Very funny," laughed Zane. "I'll have you know Michael and I studied for a long time to get into that dorm."

"I'm not sure blowing up gangs of rogue mages is considered a curriculum for the dorm."

They were quiet after that remark. Zane listened to the rhythmic sound of the wipers against the window, and the soft tapping of the rain against the roof of his car. Alexis knew this red light was infamous for taking the longest to turn, so she took this time to re-apply her makeup in the mirror. She looked at Zane and saw that he looked a tad worried.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

Zane drummed his fingers against the steering wheel. "The light turned green a minute ago. This guy is still not moving."

"Honk at him."

"No...no, we need to get out of here. I have a bad feeling about this."

Alexis felt a chill going up her frame. She started to shiver in fear from the expression of concern Zane had. "Zane? Zane, what's wrong?"

"I'm going to try and back up,"

"ZANE!"

Before Zane could react, it was too late. A black van stormed out of the alleyway next to them and smashed into their car, causing it to roll towards a garden nearby.

Zane and Alexis hung upside down from their seats. Their heads were burning and their limbs ached.

"You okay?" grunted Zane.

"No...no, I'm far from okay," Alexis answered.

Zane heard the sound of doors opening, followed by footsteps and victorious laughing. Then silence. Zane had a feeling he knew who the assailants were. Aeons. Only they would be this bold to attack the Princess and the son of the Steward. He felt foolish for dodging their security. He wasn't as clever as Prince Michael when it came to that.

Even if Michael was unfortunate enough to be caught in an ambush, at least he had powerful spells and a Terrorking Archfiend to protect him from his enemies. Zane only had a pistol and a dagger enchanted with lightning. But he couldn't reach for it. His elbow was in ever constant pain. He looked at Alexis.

She was struggling to get herself down. Her party dress was torn and stained with drops of blood. The left side of her face was covered by it. From the shattered window, Zane saw dozens of pairs of feet making their way towards the car.

"Alexis!" Zane groaned. He spat out blood. "Alexis! Run! Get out of here."

"I can't," Alexis sobbed. "Oh, Goddesses! Help us!"

The door was pulled open. Like tentacles from a monster, hands slithered into the car, grabbing her. Someone cut her seatbelt. She slumped to the roof of the car, her legs sticking straight up; for both her feet were stuck to the floor. Alexis tossed and turned, moaning in agony before she was finally dragged out, kicking and screaming.

"ZANE!" she cried. "ZANE! ZANE, THEY'RE TAKING ME AWAY!"

Zane tried to reach out to her, but the world around him was one big, foggy, blur. He heard the Aeons laughing, jeering, and whistling as the Princess was finally in their clutches. Someone doused a cloth in chloroform and smashed against Alexis's mouth.

She gasped. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head before she finally fell limp. A nine-foot-tall brute sporting a blue mohawk and wearing a sleeveless vest glowing with blue neon streaks lifted her over his shoulder and carried her to a nearby van, where he unceremoniously tossed her inside. He and a few others jumped inside.

Though he was horribly dazed, Zane heard someone in the van calling out a reward for the person who brought him Zane's head. A door was shut and the van chugged away. And then, he heard what sounded like a cord getting yanked fiercely and the brief hum of an engine.

Damn! Zane knew what that was. Someone outside the car was revving up a chainsaw. The Aeons were cheering. They started rocking the car back and forth in an attempt to scare him. Finally, the door swung open.

The gang of mages ripped him out of the car, dragging him through the mud. Some of them conjured balls of electricity to zap him. Others snapped their fingers, creating flames which they used to burn his clothes and his skin. They finally dragged him to a tree stump and slammed him against it. A punk wearing glowing red goggles held his arms and stretched them across the stump.

Finally, the maniac with the chainsaw came into view. He giggled viciously and swung the chainsaw around to intimidate him. Just when Zane thought it was over, the maniac was hit by an icy blast of absolute zero. He stood where he was, frozen rock solid. Then, a spray of bullets shattered him to small, bloody pieces.

A girl in tactical gear jumped over the wall of the garden where Zane crashed. She carried a SAW in one hand, while the other blasted the Aeons with deadly ice spells.

"Crow," Zane whispered.

Somehow, by some miracle, Prince Michael's hardboiled love interest had found him, and saved him. But what about Alexis? Where was she? Did she save her, too? He couldn't see her take down the fools, for he was so overcome with the shock of almost losing his life that he blacked out.

* * *

"He's waking up!" Crow shouted.

Zane squinted and grunted. Her voice seemed amplified as though she was yelling into his ear with a bullhorn.

"Not so loud," Michael said, leaning against a pillar of black marble, one of many in his bedchambers, which seemed large enough to be a city plaza. "He's still dazed from the drugs the doc gave him."

Zane's eyes finally opened. Above him hung a crystal chandelier from the ceiling many feet high made of green marble. He realized he was laying in Michael's bed. And he was naked, save for a few bandages across his abdomen.

"Michael," he whispered.

"You screwed up," Michael said. He held out his arm. Something clear and translucent landed on it. It finally took shape in a winged beast with feathers of silverly steel. A Stealth Bird. It squawked at Zane.

Michael approached his friend. He was clad in a shadowy black blazer and tie with a black cloak damasked in gold patterns hanging over his shoulder. His crown shimmered like flames on his brow. The devil-lock hanging over the left side of his face swung to-and-fro with each step he took.

"Why did you dodge security?"

"It wasn't my idea," Zane groaned, slamming his head against his pillow. "I...I knew better. But that girl has a way with words."

"Taught her everything I know," Crow boasted, sucking on a blueberry-flavored lollipop. "What did she want to do with you so bad that she didn't want the guards seeing you?"

"It's not what you think," said Zane.

"In any case, the Aeons have Alexis," Michael said grimly, stroking the feathers on Stealth Bird's chest. "We need to do something now, or else the Queen is going to send every soldier she has into Elleria. I know Daria Rhodes well. She will burn Domino City to the ground in order to find her daughter. If my father sees her with her troops at our doorstep, he's going to take that as an act of war."

"So what do we do now?" said Crow. She scratched her short, ragged, black hair and sighed. "The Queen wants little Alexis back home safe and sound by Monday, which gives us three days to find her."

"We have to do what we need to," said Michael. "We gather our friends and march downtown."

"I seriously doubt King is going to keep her in the usual spots," said Crow, finally crunching on the lollipop. "He's smarter than that. He must have taken her somewhere else."

"You give the Aeons too much credit," Michael said pretentiously, spinning around as he strolled towards the window. His cloak wooshed.

"And you don't take them seriously enough," said Zane. "They were smart enough to coordinate an attack to steal Alexis."

"A plan that wouldn't have succeeded had you not avoided your security escorts," said Michael. "Either way, we've got the whereabouts of a van matching the one you saw parking in an old fish-packing plant."

"I'll go with you," grunted Zane.

"You will do no such thing," said Michael. "You sit here and rest. We'll get Alexis back ourselves."

"But…"

"Zane," Crow said, slowly shaking her head. "No. Be a good boy and get some sleep. You can't take on the Aeons anyway, you can't cast magic. Michael, Rock, and the others are waiting for us downtown. Let's meet up with them and kick some Aeon ass."

Stealth Bird squawked and beat his feathers eagerly, for he wanted to claw out their eyes.

She made her way for the door out of Michael's chambers. Michael patted Zane on the shoulder and followed her out, leaving him alone.

"Damn," Zane whispered, collapsing against the silky pillows. "You've really done it this time, Zane. Queen Daria's going to have my head for sure. Alexis is in the clutches of those monsters and there's nothing I can do about it." His eyes suddenly widened. "Unless."

Zane quickly got dressed and left Michael's bedchambers. He took the elevator up to the 80th floor of the House of Gray and marched to his room. Holographic screens turned on all around him once he walked in.

"Begin the final stage of Project Cyber Knight," he commanded the robotic arms that whirred around the grand chamber.

Zane took a quick shower as the machines and his AI, Nel-E, were putting the final adjustments to the machine he was working on.

"There is still much to do," Nel-E said urgently. "Sir, there is no way the weapon will be combat-ready now. There is still much to be done."

"Just do what you can," said Zane, coming out of the bathroom, cloaked in a fog of steam. "My friend is out there and she needs my help."

"You dodged security again, didn't you?" Nel-E asked,

"Nel-E…"

"Was Princess Rhodes with you?"

"Nel-E…."

"You ought to be ashamed of yourself, Zane. It was your duty to protect her."

"Get to work!"

"Ugh, so bossy. Your father will have me scrapped if he found out we were using resources from his lab to make weapons."

"Seriously?" Zane said, dressing into a black tank top and black cargo pants. "We've been working on this project for months and you worry about this now. What else is needed to be done?" He put on a holo-lens which flashed windows of data, graphs, and charts with complicated mathematical formulas that he was able to do in his head. "Looks easy enough."

"I wish I shared your confidence," said Nel-E.

"You need to be positive, Nel-E."

"You be positive, sir. I'm going to be realistic. Your tools are already on the desk. May the Goddesses be with you."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Zane said, sitting down on his chair. An orange holographic keyboard projected in front of him. He started typing up a storm and searched through his files for the weapon he was developing.

"Coffee?" Nel-E asked.

"Caramel, make it very sweet as always."

"At once, sir."

A robotic arm lowered from the ceiling with a black mug in hand. Zane took it as he typed with one hand. "Thank you," he said and took a large sip.

"Not bad," said Nel-E, examining the improvements to the plans for his machine. "I think we might be able to pull this off."

"I told you not to doubt me," Zane chuckled. "Alright. Let's see what we have so far."

He got up from his chair after making a few - actually a hundred - minor adjustments to the weapon. A metallic pod slid out of the wall and opened, revealing a crude but highly advanced exoskeleton, which he needed to control the weapon, now being assembled in the upper levels of Zane's room.

He put it on, checked the systems, its functionality. It was working just fine.

"I detect damage to your rib," said Nel-E. "Have you been injured?"

"It's just a bruise," Zane replied, moving his arms and legs. The exoskeleton moved with him fluidly. It was working flawlessly. "Nice."

He lifted his arm. A photon cannon rose out of the gauntlet. He fired a few shots at empty soda cans he set up on a shelf. Again, his inventions were working at maximum efficiency.

"Why does your father not hire you to work with him again? This is nothing short of amazing."

"I'm too good," said Zane. "Even he acknowledges that. Besides, some of the things I build both amaze and terrify even me. I'd rather not have them sold to companies like Paradias or Rosenkraz. Some of my father's buyers support the Church of Yeyu. The last thing we need is for them to get their hands on my work. Last time that happened, the Church wiped out the Mountain Elves of the Selnandra Peaks. They were all using machines based on prototypes I gave my father. I'll never forgive myself for that."

He started hammering a steel plate that was going to be used for the body. Sparks flew out of it. The hammer itself was enchanted with molten flames.

"It wasn't your fault," Nel-E said sympathetically.

"I built weapons, Nel-E. I knew what they were capable of. I didn't care for limitations. My mind was pumped with too much knowledge for it to be restrained. If there's a barrier, I intend to break it. You now that more than anyone. People have suffered for that. I intend to fix my mistakes with this."

"Good luck to you, sir."

Zane hurried upstairs to the second floor of his lab where the mechanical beast he was building for months was finally coming to life. He heard a roar coming from a cloud of thick, white, fog. Electricity flashed all around the circular platform at the center of the lab.

The creature, a long mechanical serpent, hissed. Cables filled with a glowing orange liquid were attached to various parts of the mechanical serpent's body. There were orange glowing lines outlining its jaws. It had one tooth on each side of the lower jaw, and even a synthetic tongue. A round orange lamp on the top of its head served as the creature's eye.

Zane smiled and crossed his arms, feeling proud of his creation.

* * *

**Proto-Cyber Dragon**

**ATK/1100 DEF/500**


	2. The Aeon's Declaration

A spiral opening in the hangar of Zane's room parted to reveal the cityscape of Domino below. The sky was a deep purple color and lightning flashed illuminating the night. Zane stared at the thousands of buildings nervously. This was it. He was going to take his beast out for a test drive. Could he call it that? This situation was going to be more than just some test. He was about to go up against thugs armed with guns and magic. After what happened hours earlier, he was beginning to doubt himself.

She's out there because of me, he thought to himself. This is all my fault.

He heard his prototype slithering toward him. It loomed over his shoulder and stared at him as if saying: "Well, do something about it."

Zane smiled as if that was what the beast was telling him. "You know, you're absolutely right. After all, I shouldn't be doubting my own work."

Proto-Cyber Dragon snarled in agreement. Its orange neon lit the darkness around him.

"I have great confidence in you, sir," said Nel-E. "And it seems like I'm not the only one. Our pet project seems to agree with you, too. It's working in tip-top shape. The board is green. Systems are working at maximum efficiency. You are good to go."

"Can the same be said about my suit?" Zane asked. He held up his wrist and turned on his holographic computer. He typed feverishly, double-checking the exoskeleton for any glitches. As he feared, the display showed green on every limb and a solid 100%.

"Sometimes, I'm just too good," Zane sighed. "All right. Let's see what this baby can do."

A compartment on the prototype's neck opened. The walls were white lights encasing a helmet, which he needed to conceal his identity. Once it was over his head, the helmet's visor faded to black. Zane saw a mini-map of the city in the top right corner of his HUD. He tapped his thumb and index finger together and the mini-map faded and showed the footage from Proto-Cyber Dragon's camera. He tapped them again and it displayed a breaking news story. Naturally, Princess Alexis's kidnapping was the top story of the evening.

First, he saw the concerned anchorman repeating the same bits of information that they knew so far on the situation. It was the Aeons. Motive unclear. Lord Zane hurt in the kidnapping. Prince Michael and his army were up in arms. But then, in a cruel twist of fate, the anchorman put a finger on his earpiece. He gulped nervously.

"We're going to turn you over to Darlene Kennedy who has received some information just a few moments ago. Darlene."

"Thank you, Bryan. About thirty minutes ago, an anonymous user emailed DCN a video. Based on what we have seen, the sender was no doubt of the notorious mage gang, the Aeons, who attacked Zane Truesdale and Princess Alexis Rhodes in Burbon Street about an hour ago. No word yet on Zane's condition. We have received some pictures from the anonymous sender as well. They display the Lorninnian Princess bound and gagged in what appears to be a slaughterhouse. Domino City PD is currently examining the video to determine Alexis's location. Not only does the film reveal Alexis but it contains a list of demands from the Aeon leader, King Aldric. Be warned, what you are about to see is disturbing."

Zane braced himself.

The screen showed Alexis on the ground, her arms tied behind her back by handcuffs and her legs bound together with duct tape. Her tiara was gone, as was much of jewelry. She was being sprayed with cold water from a hose, carried by an Aeon gang member wearing a Clown Zombie mask. Alexis's white party dress was torn, dirty, and soaked. It was so translucent that it gave the appearance that she was naked. Alexis sobbed and begged for them to stop spraying her.

"You want us to stop? You want us to stop?" the cameraman mocked her.

"Yes!" Alexis shouted over the fierce torrents crashing onto her chest. "Please! For the love of Horakhty! Please, stop!"

The cameraman laughed at her suffering. "All right, all right, all right. Turn it off." He snapped his fingers repeatedly.

"Aww," said the man in the clown mask. He turned the nozzle, halting the water, but he was ready to do it again. His fellow gang members then walked towards Alexis, surrounding her and laughing at her.

"What is your name?" the cameraman asked.

Alexis gasped for air and shivered. "Please."

"That's not your name. Come on, tell us your name."

"Please, let me go!" Alexis begged again.

The cameraman snapped his fingers. She was sprayed mercilessly with the hose again.

"Stop! Stop! Stop!"

"What is your name!?" the cameraman asked loudly.

"I am...Alexis Rhodes. Crown Princess of the Kingdom of Lorin. Daughter of Queen Daria XVIII, and the sole heir to the Sapphire Throne."

"Good girl," said the cameraman. "Now, do you know why you are here? Come on. Tell the good folks of Domino why you are here."

Alexis looked at the camera with a fiery defiance in her eyes. "I'll never say it. You might as well just kill me now because you'll never get the royal family to do your bidding. Never."

"Kill you now? Naw, that will ruin the fun. We're going to have so much fun with you, Princess. Lots and lots of fun. Of course, there is a way to put an end to all this, right here and right now."

The cameraman handed the camera to one of his henchmen and ordered to have himself filmed. Zane saw a boy of nineteen sniggering back at him. He had long acid green hair and wore a Duel Gazer over his right eye. He wore a sleeveless white coat over a black bodysuit with green neon designs on the legs and chest. The coat was adorned with green glowing orbs over the shoulders and down his spine.

"Arise peasants!" he shouted into the camera. "Your new king is here. For many years, we have been persecuted unfairly by the Covenant of Yeyu or the Church of Green Fire as they call themselves here. They have forced us underground like rats while they take over our magical academies, erase our history, burn our people, and ravage our lands, destroy our culture - OUR VERY WAY OF LIFE!"

He paced back and forth. His men were sniggering as they brandished bats, clubs, and chains.

"We trusted our Lords, our Kings! We trusted them to do something against this vile cult who have comfortably declared all of us - the citizens of Termnnia - as their enemies. Enemies whom their White-Gold Tome commands to kill should we not convert to their faith and become one with their vile cult. Instead of fighting them and silencing them you embraced them! You forced us to tolerate them! You forced us to understand them! Yet you say nothing when they cut off the hands of children who play Duel Monsters. You say nothing as they violated the Rose Priestesses of the Love Goddess. They dishonored them and sold them to King Forrest, where they will forever serve him as slaves. Forced to commit unholy atrocities for his amusement. They were stolen! Here in our lands. And what does the Dalton Family do?"

He balled his fist at the camera furiously.

"What did they do? They threw a party as always. Like all the kings on our continent, they do NOTHING! So we took it upon ourselves to deal with the problem. We - the true patriots of Domino City - fought off the scourge who you let into our lands. Instead of joining us, you fight against us! You send your son and his friends to kill us. We have done nothing wrong! Defending your homeland from heartless invaders is not a crime! So why do you persecute us and not them? Why do you ignore our suffering but answer to theirs? You have turned your backs on us, King Eldon. You have turned your back on your people. And now you will pay for this outrage!"

The camera loomed down on Alexis.

"You have seven days to surrender your crown to me," King Aldric threatened. "For each day that goes by, Alexis will suffer beyond her wildest dreams. On the seventh day, I swear to you by the Twelve Mothers that we will send you her head! The clock is ticking, King Eldon. Make your choice. Surrender your crown or risk open war with the Kingdom of Lorin for doing nothing, which is what you seem to be good at. Your failure as King of Eredas is what brought forth all of this madness."

He pointed at the camera.

"People of Eredas! Let your voices be heard in these next seven days! You have the power to bring a real king onto the Throne of XIII. Show King Eldon that we are tired of the Church of Yeyu pushing us around. Join us! The people should not fear the King. It is the King who must fear his people. Make your choice, Eldon. I'll be waiting."

He formed a horrid, wide, smile. "Bring the princess to me, boys."

The camera shook and Alexis's painful screams could be heard alongside King Aldric's horrible laughing.

If that didn't get Zane motivated, nothing could. He felt his blood boiling. His fists were clenched so tightly he felt his knuckles would burst through the carbon fiber guards of his gloves.

"Freg'greth Meh'gumvian!" he cursed in his ancient language.

It was now or never. He had to save Alexis and fast.

"Those foul miscreants and their call to arms. All this suffering. In the name of liberty they say. Fools. Trying to end bloodshed by shedding more blood? I'll blast them all into oblivion."

The jets on his exoskeleton activated. He felt himself rising off the ground.

"All systems go," said Nel-E. "All right, sir, time to see what this baby can do."

"Right." Zane smirked, feeling himself rising higher and higher above the city of Domino. He looked down and saw that even his prototype was staring up at him. The glowing orange tubes released themselves from the mechanical creature's body to set it loose upon the world. It roared, steam shot out from its gullet. A little addition Zane added to give life to his creation.

"All right," he said. "You don't look at all like my father's monster. But you will have to do for now. Let's go save my friend."

The jets thrust Zane over the city. He did it! He was flying. Hatches opened on the prototype's back. Rockets rose out and launched the creature into the air. It followed Zane into the night.

For a moment, Zane forgot about all his troubles. He looked down at the city below. He marveled at the bright lights, burning neon, and glittering windows. The cars were like a river of red and white slithering through the streets. Commercials for beauty products and an upcoming concert were displayed on tall buildings. Zane could even see the ocean over the skyscrapers. The lights of numerous boats twinkled in the dark waters.

He started laughing with joy. It was working! His exoskeleton was a complete success. He looked back at his prototype. The serpent-like cybernetic dragon was flying closely behind him. Lightning flashed, causing its armor to shimmer in its brief light.

"Well done, Nel-E!" Zane said doing a loop-de-loop.

"Never doubted you for a second, sir," the AI said cheerfully. "Congratulations. Now if you're done flying around, I believe you have a princess to save."

Zane chuckled. "Right? This is going to be just like the stories my nanny once told me when I was a small boy."

"True, but you're not sweeping her from a dragon-guarded tower. You have a small army of mages to contend with. Are you sure you can handle them?"

"I can and I will," said Zane. "Can you enter the DCN anchor's computer, find the email with the video posted recently, and trace it back to the sender?"

"Sir, you offend me," said Nel-E. "I can slither through the firewalls of your father's company. How hard can a bias news anchor's personal computer be to bypass?"

"You're the best Nel-E," Zane chuckled. He circled around buildings for fun, his rockets roaring. The prototype was not far behind.

"This is child's play," Nel-E boasted. "I mean, these are street thugs. I doubt any of them know how to cover their tracks. Ah, I found them already."

"Where?!" Zane shouted.

"I'll mark it on your map. Go get them, sir!"

"Perfect," said Zane. He saw a red dot pinpointing the exact location where the email was sent. An arrow on his HUD began to point the best way to get there. "Hang on, Alexis. I'm coming."


	3. A Trail of Bread Crumbs

Rain splattered his visor. A green light slid down the face of it, wiping the water off to clear Zane's vision. Not that it mattered. He could see where he was going thanks to the mini-map on the corner of his HUD. Another screen popped up, showing Zane a rear-view image of his prototype chasing after him. The creature looked like it was ready to fight. That's what he wanted to see - life. He spared no expense to make his creation feel like it was a living thing. It snarled, it growled, it obeyed his orders. He couldn't have been happier.

Before he knew it, he found himself flying over the Domino City ports. It was a very different world than the lavish, clean, streets of the Crown District and the Dragon Gardens District. There were no fancy malls, luxury hotels, Dueling arenas, or grand temples to the Goddesses here. He could already smell the difference in the air. The stench of sea salt, motor oil, trash, and cheaply made fast food perfumed the air.

"You have arrived at your destination," Nel-E said to Zane. "Good look to you, sir. Be safe."

"Thanks, Nel-E."

"Shall I have your will sent to your father?"

"Very funny, Nel-E. Hack yourself into the Kaiba Corp satellite so you can have a bird's eye view of my surroundings. Alert me of any sign of trouble. Try not to get yourself noticed."

"Yes, sir. Kaiba's multi-colored-haired lackeys will never even know I'm there. Ugh. They are scary things. "

"Cut the chatter. I'm going dark."

This was it. Zane's heart raced as he landed in front of the ruins of a liquidated supermarket. He saw fire flickering through the openings of the boards that were nailed over the windows and heard loud music thumped through the walls. Pathetic. If these guys wanted to keep themselves hidden, they sure did a horrible job of doing it. Graffiti was sprayed along the walls of the supermarket, and there were signs warning trespassers that this was Aeon turf.

Zane shook his head. Another childish mistake on the gang's part. And these guys got the best of him and the royal security guards? These were the guys demanding the King of Eredas to surrender his crown to them?

He had a feeling he was going to have no trouble taking them down. He walked towards the door and raised his fist. His exoskeleton activated, maximizing his strength.

WHAM!

He punched the steel door down. The Aeons, who were celebrating their victory, stood up and gasped. The music stopped. Zane stomped into the store.

"What the hell are you supposed to be?" shouted a punk, hanging out on the top of a shelf. "If you know what's good for you, you'd turn your metallic ass out of..."

PEW!

Zane shot him with the laser cannon on his wrist. The Aeon screamed in agony as he fell to the floor with a thud.

"Where is Alexis?" he shouted. "Hand her over and you will not be harmed!"

"Man, whatever!" another Aeon said, pulling out a shotgun.

The other Aeons took out weapons of their own and fired. At once, Zane held up his palm, activating a green, hexagon-tiled, barrier. He grinned, watching as the bullets peppered the barrier. The Aeons were shouting in confusion; cursing, and constantly claiming that their bullets did not affect the shield. When the gunfire died down, it was Zane's turn to go on the offensive. He raised his fists - the second laser cannon rose out of the other gauntlet.

He fired, taking down a dozen thugs in less than a minute. When the gang thought it best to attack, they fired their weapons, but Zane activated his barrier again. He laughed, but only for a moment. A fireball struck him in the stomach, knocking him out the door and back into the rain. He rolled on the ground and stopped.

His HUD flashed red with various warnings; heavy damage was inflicted on the cuirass of his exoskeleton.

A wild-haired witch with multiple piercings on her face laughed at what she had done; both of her hands engulfed by bubble gum pink flames. She walked toward Zane, ready to inflict more damage. She did not anticipate him recovering so quickly.

He rose up at once and blasted her in the chest with his laser cannon. When she was dead, he got back up and held up both hands, creating a much larger shield. Zane knew that he could not hold them back with just shields and laser cannon blasts. They were smarter than he thought.

Thanks to that last attack, they discovered a weakness. His exoskeleton was not magic proof. More spellcasters joined the ranks, firing blasts of lightning, jets of boiling water, and colorful fireballs towards him. Zane hoped his shield would cover him from those, but the arcane arts proved far more powerful than technology; for they shot right through his shield. Explosions shook the ground and knocked a few structures down.

He was struck on the shoulder by a lightning spell - it surged through his arm, burning him with pain and paralyzing the left half of his body. Zane ducked behind a shelf. The Aeons would give him no time to breathe. They hopped over counters and iceboxes to get to their attacker. It was payback time for them.

So they thought.

The prototype burst through the ceiling and roared at them. Before they could react, the mechanical creature fired a yellow-colored laser at them, turning them to bones which broke down into dust. The rest of the Aeons cried out in horror at the monster and ran out, not wanting to tangle with either it or Zane, who was proving a little difficult to kill.

"Oh no, you don't!" he shouted.

He ran after them, the exoskeleton giving him a great boost in speed. He grabbed an Aeon by the hood and threw him across the store. He smashed out the window into the rain and rolled to a stop. He stood up, hoping to get away, but he felt a white-hot pain shoot through his leg. He wailed in anguish and collapsed on the wet ground. He looked at the wound that caused him such discomfort. A hole had burned through his leg. Flames still flickered in his torn jeans. He had been shot by Zane's laser.

He gasped in horror, seeing him walk out of the ruins of the store. The prototype roared and started blasting the others with his breath, killing each and every one. He soared over the harbor hunting down any more who ran or were stupid enough to try to shoot it down with their magical attacks.

The Aeon tried to back away, but it was no use. Zane grabbed him by the throat and lifted him up. The exoskeleton's grip choked him.

"Where is she!?" Zane shouted.

"I...I..." babbled the Aeon.

"WHERE IS ALEXIS!"

"I...I don't know!"

Zane brought the laser cannon close to the Aeon's face.

"NO! NO! NO!" the Aeon shouted. "Please! I really don't know! After King Aldric posted the video they took off with her."

"WHERE?"

"I don't know! I swear I don't know! I'm just a new recruit. I just got sworn in yesterday! They don't tell me any of these things."

Zane brought the cannon closer to the Aeon's face. "Then you better pray that you know someone who does."

"Okay, okay, okay! Look for a guy named Dargon Merlon. He's one of the officers in charge of the boys over at the Dueling District. They ran the card hustling side of things. There's supposed to be a meet or something over there. But I don't know the exact location. You'll have to shake down all the guys that work there to get any info on Dargon. He's like a shadow, man. The only reason I've been able to see him is because this is a huge operation. The Princess is the key to getting the throne from the Daltons."

"You idiots don't know what you've caused. Because of you, we could be at war with both Lorin and the Covenant of Yeyu. All you had to do was await the return of Prince Yuri."

"Prince Yuri!? There is no time for that! They're killing us out there, man. You don't know how much they have caused us to suffer. What I have suffered because of them. I lost my little sister to those bastards."

"What?"

"She was playing Duel Monsters with her friends in the park," the Aeon started sobbing. He placed both hands on Zane's hoping to loosen his grip. "She never came back. Security cameras filmed what happened. Some robed goons wearing that green and gold eye from that psycho church drove up in a white van and took her and her little friends away."

"So that's why you joined the Aeons? To find your sister?"

"And get revenge on the Church. I just gotta find her. You don't know what they do to little girls, man. They do horrible things. If she's unfortunate, she'll be shipped off to King Forrest in Naralia. He's a sicko, man. A real sicko. You're fighting the wrong guys, here, whoever you are. We can work together. We can help you."

Zane shook his head. "You and your pals are no different from the Covenant. Last year, King Aldric ordered pyromancers to burn down a whole school full of children who worship the false god. And they succeeded. None of the kids survived. Killed because they had a different belief than he did."

"Tellaria's Grace!" whispered the Aeon. "I...I had no idea."

"Of course, you didn't. You were so hell-bent on revenge that you didn't even stop to think about who you're working for."

"But we can't just sit around and do nothing, man! We have to fight back those savages!"

"By becoming savages ourselves!" Zane roared.

Sirens wailed in the distance. Zane looked at the old supermarket and saw that it was in flames. He let the Aeon go. "Wait for them to arrive," he instructed the boy. "They'll help you with your wound."

Zane reached into one of the pouches around his belt and took out a binding, which he used to wrap the boy's hands together.

"However, you're going to be arrested for your involvement in the Princess's kidnapping. I'm sorry about what's happened to you, kid, but there is no excuse to throw your life away and become a lying, cheating, murdering, disgrace."

The boy's lips trembled. "But...but my sister, man. She needs me!"

"I'll find her," Zane assured him. "I promise you she'll be safe. But beyond that, I can confirm that she'll no longer be your concern. Because of your foolishness, she'll be growing up without a brother. If she saw who you joined; what you became, she would be greatly ashamed of you."

The boy nodded. "But can you promise me she'll be safe."

"I assure you when I find her she'll get the best care. In the meantime, you think about what you did. To your sister, the Princess, and to yourself."

The boy looked at him and nodded.

Zane activated his rockets and took off into the night. The prototype roared and chased after him.

* * *

**Lore**

* * *

**Domino City is the capital of the Kingdom of Eredas and the most technologically advanced civilization in Termnnia. The city covers many leagues and is circular in shape, divided into ten districts like a pie. **

**The King's District, The Dragon Garden's District, Kaiba Plaza, Rosenkruz Academy, The Dueling District, The Aquamarine District, The Baytown, The Star District, The Temple District, and the White Dragon District. Another district called the Cerulean District is built underwater by the Rosenkruz Bay. This is home for the 1% of Eredas. The King of Games, Yugi Muto, is said to own a condo there.**

**The city is also stacked over four other levels which were built over and forgotten thousands of years ago after the Elf-Machine Wars of the Second Age. The lower levels of Domino City are less lavish than the surface and grow to be more deteriorated the further down you go. Level 5 is the worst of these levels, where poor souls who are too unfortunate to make ends meet are forced to go. It is notorious for its poor living conditions and for housing criminals and other vagabonds. And it is an ideal habitat for terrible monsters said to lurk in the abandoned streets and subway tunnels. **


	4. The Guardian

Zane soared over the city towards the Dueling District where he would hopefully find someone who could give him information on Alexis's whereabouts. If what he heard about the Aeons was true, they could have been lurking in the lower levels of the city. But he would rather not go there unless he had to. He hated to admit it, but even with the exoskeleton, he would have a whole lot of trouble down there. But he was so desperate to find Alexis, that he felt he would brave the dangers of the underground slums. He had known her since she was just a little girl.

The memories of her frolicking through the castle in her short white dress came to him and warmed his spirit. He recalled how cute she was, and how small. She had a giant white bow in her hair. The diamonds around her neck shimmered like a thousand stars. Her eyes sparkled with purity and innocence. And her laughter, ringing like silver bells.

She was picking flowers in the garden and gave them to him.

_"Thank you, Princess," the young Zane said, bashfully taking them from her._

_She giggled, hiding her smile behind her hand as she hunched her shoulders. Her cheeks flushed into a cotton candy pink. "You're welcome," she said. "Now will you marry me?"_

_"Huh?"_

_"Well, I'm a Princess after all and you're the one everyone says I must marry, right?"_

_"No!" he said at once. "You've got it all wrong, Alexis. I'm not a prince!"_

_"Who says you have to be?" Alexis replied with a twitter. "Mama says you have to be at least a Lord to marry a Princess. You're going to be Steward of Eredas. You're the right hand of the King. That's just as important as a prince if not more."_

_"I uh...I can't Alexis. It's not right."_

_Alexis smiled, closing her eyes as she tilted her head to the right. "Maybe this will change your mind," she said, leaning forward and then planting him a kiss._

_Zane dropped the flowers and ran away. "Mama!" he cried, running down the halls._

He chuckled remembering that. It was embarrassing, to say the least, and recalling such a memory made him feel like he had a vice gripping his chest. She was still his friend after that, becoming somewhat of a sister to him, but she stopped pretending to be in love with him, so she said. It left him wondering if her behaving so lovingly towards him that summer was actually real affection. He would never know because after that she never handed him flowers or toyed with the notion of kissing him again.

He soared over the wall that divided the Dueling District from the King's District. He saw numerous arenas and the lavish skyscrapers that housed the top players in the city. Countless playing fields dotted the world below. He could see monsters doing battle with one another. How he wished to be doing that himself. Just playing a quiet game with Alexis by the fireplace. If he had listened to his instincts and ignored her pleas to be rebellious, that's probably what they would be doing right now. He felt like such a fool for evading his personal guard. At eighteen years old, Alexis was old enough to drink and enter the lavish nightclubs of the Dragon Garden's District.

He blamed his wonder of her affection in the past for allowing her to be rebellious this night. If the Queen of Lorin found out it was he who allowed her to leave the towers of the House of Gray that night, she would no doubt have his head. He needed to atone for that and find her at once.

Nel-E alerted him of wrongdoing below.

"I see Aeons mugging a young man in Cornerwood Street. Teach them a lesson, sir!"

"You got it. Maybe they might know something about this Dargon character." He soared eastward.

The Prototype was ready for battle and let out a loud screech, following Zane to the alleyway where the mugging was taking place.

"HELP!" the boy cried out. He was a student from Rosenkruz Academy. He held his arms over his face to keep the Aeon's punches from smacking him in the face. There were two of them. A skinny punk and a very stout one with a green mohawk. They were trying to take his cards and his money and beat him to a pulp for the fun of it.

Zane sailed towards them at full speed. He snatched the skinny one and tossed him like a ball at a dumpster, knocking him out cold. The stout one pulled out a switchblade from his leather jacket. Zane grabbed him by the wrist before he could move. He squeezed with all his might until the Aeon's wrist shattered. He squealed and smacked Zane's arm with his good hand, begging him to let go.

"Get out of here!" Zane commanded the student.

The boy nodded and ran away.

"What the hell?" wailed the Aeon. "It's true. You're that cyber guy or something...ahhhh!"

"Shut up!" shouted Zane. He sniggered, squeezing the broken wrist even harder. "Do you know anything about the kidnapping tonight?"

The Aeon sneered despite his great pain. "That's right. I was there when it happened. Princess Alexis and Zane didn't even know what hit them. I suppose you're here to get me to spill the beans on her location, eh? Well, too bad for you. I ain't gonna talk."

Zane squeezed the Aeon's broken wrist again. He leaned forward until his visor touched the tip of the punk's nose. "You want to act like a tough guy, I'll treat you like a tough guy. Don't test me, punk! You're in no position to be pulling off theatrics with me."

"Okay, okay, okay! The warehouse thing was just a diversion. We had our boys waiting for you cops so we could ambush you...accck!"

"Do I look like a cop!" Zane shouted. "I know about the warehouse. Your friends are all dead."

"No way, man!"

"Way," Zane replied. He held up his fist. Layers of metal stacked up against one another until they formed a blade.

"OH SHIT!" cried the Aeon.

"You're going to be next if you don't start explaining things. Where did they take Alexis? Where is the Princess? Tell me or I'll gut you like a pig!"

"No, no, no, no, no. Please, there's no need for that. Dargon, he's the one you want. I know where he operates. I'm one of his top officers, man. Go to the back lot of the Red-X Gaming card shop. There's a payment about to go down back there. The shop's owner is in debt to us for helping him set up the place and keeping those Church boys away from his family. He's a former priest or something like that. Aldric is going to handle some business downtown in the Kaiba Plaza so he's left Alexis's handling to Dargon for the night. They have her locked up in a shipping container. It's orange in color with the Kaiba Corp logo on it. You can't miss it."

Zane punched the Aeon, breaking his nose and knocking him out cold. "You get all that Nel-E?"

"I sure did. I'll mark the location on your map. And look, you're just in time."

She showed him satellite footage with a bird's eye view of the store. Indeed, there was a truck waiting in the back parking lot of the store. Zane asked to get thermal imaging of the area. He saw the white silhouettes of figures standing around. Someone walked out of the shop. It as no doubt the owner.

Wasting no time, Zane took off and followed the arrow on his map leading him to the shop. "I had my fun," he said to his beast. "You feeling frisky tonight, pal?"

The prototype roared then dove down toward the shop to attack the Aeons and stop their racketeering operation.

"Keep the damage to a minimum," he commanded the creature. "Do not fire on the shop. We have innocent civilians in there."

The prototype roared to let the Aeons know it was coming. It fired its yellow laser at two of the gang members, reducing them to ash. The other members ran off into the night, scattering into the night like roaches. The prototype then smashed the truck hauling the shipping container with its tail, killing the driver, and setting the vehicle on fire.

The prototype chased after an Aeon and grabbed him with its mouth. It shook him violently and tossed him miles into the sky. Zane saw that the coast was clear and landed on the parking lot. Two Aeon mages launched balls of fire and lightning at him. He rolled out of the way, barely dodging the attacks, and then struck them both with his laser cannon. He yanked the chain off the container's door and pulled it open. It was horribly dark in there. Zane's visor switched to night vision and a small light on the left side of his helmet turned on to light up the way.

There she was. Alexis was on the floor sobbing. She sat up, blocking the light with her hand. She was dressed in a raunchy lolita costume, black with pink ribbons and sashes. Her hair was tied into two very long pigtails with pink bows.

"Who?" she wondered.

"Alexis!" Zane shouted.

"Zane?" Alexis cried out. "Is that you?"

Zane took off his helmet so she could see his face and hurried towards her. "Why are you dressed like that? What did they do to you?"

"You don't want to know," she said as he broke her cuffs with a quick yank. Her lips trembled and she wrapped her arms around his neck and broke.

"It's okay. I've got you now."

"I'm so glad you made it. They're going to sell me to the Lord of Level Five."

"Why?"

"He was going to do things to me to persuade King Eldon to surrender his crown to Aldric."

"The hell he is," said Zane. "Once I get you home I'll deal with..."

The container shook violently. A loud screech stung both their ears. Zane looked up and noticed that something was ripping the roof off the container. Something big. Something horrible. When it was thrown off the by the monster, Zane grunted in horror.

A Gate Guardian.

The faceless monster loomed over him. It held something in its hand. The prototype. Its body was mangled and twisted. Wires hung from its mouth and sparks flew from openings on its body.

Zane heard someone laughing behind him. A muscular young man with a shaved head, a trimmed beard, and tan skin walked into the ruin of the container. His hands casually tucked in the pockets of his trenchcoat, which he left opened to show off his athletic form.

"Impressive creature you made there, boy-o. But I'm afraid machines fail in comparison to the might of a REAL Duel Monster." He snapped his fingers.

The wind monster, Kazejin, who made the torso of the beast, blew a fierce wind. Zane tried to stand his ground, but it felt like he was standing in front of a tornado. Then Sanga of the Thunder, who made the head and the arms, unleashed a stream of lightning that mixed with Kazejin's wind attack. Zane felt his body getting fried. He roared in agony, his exoskeleton wailed with warning alarms announcing various malfunctions in the suit.

Alexis stood up and ran towards the man. "No, no, no!" she cried, waving her hands in front of him. "Dargon! Please, stop! Please. Stop! I'll go with you. I promise."

"Good girl," said Dargon. He slapped her, knocking her out cold. She collapsed on the ground. Dargon laughed and put her over his shoulder. He looked at his monster with a nasty grin. "Kill him. THUNDERSTROKE!"

Gate Guardian growled, ready to end Zane with its ultimate attack as Dargon took Alexis to his car. He tossed her in the trunk and drove off. Just then, something jumped out of the flames.

A Terrorking Archfiend.

He smashed his demonic sword on Sanga's head. Zane, finally freed of the attack, slumped on the ground on his knees. He fell forward, his face smashing on the ground. Gate Guardian roared and tried to swap his new opponent away. Terrorking Archfiend spun out of the way and summoned a swarm of bats that enveloped the monster.

Zane heard footsteps walking towards him. Someone flipped him over. He saw Prince Michael looking down at him. Terrorking Archfiend and Gate Guardian were still engaged in combat behind him.

That was the last thing Zane saw before he was consumed by darkness again.

_Alexis...I'm sorry._


	5. Terra Firma

He awoke and saw a pair of gorgeous green eyes peering at him from behind glass. A lock of jet-black hair bounced over a pretty tan-colored face. Tanika 'Crow' Lynchfield was looking at him as though he were a fish in an aquarium. Zane realized he was in some kind of stasis tank. He was submerged in an arctic-blue liquid that soothed his burns and cooled his body. He had a breathing mask placed over his mouth and bubbles coming from a vent beneath his feet surrounded him.

Crow laughed and shook her head. "You know, you sure do have a knack of getting yourself knocked out Zane."

She pressed her lips on the glass, gesturing a kiss, laughed, and walked away. That was all Zane saw before he felt himself surrender to a void of inky blackness again.

Moments later, he felt someone rubbing a warm, soaked, cloth over his head. He opened his eyes and saw Crow looking down on him.

"Oh! Hey! Mike! He's coming through at last."

"Where the hell am I?" Zane asked, feeling as though someone had taken out his brain and played baseball with it. He saw daylight peeking through the tall white curtains of his bedchamber. The sound of the waterfall pouring down into his own river - usually quite soothing for him to wake up to - thundered in his ears, making his head throb.

"You're back home," Crow answered. "Where you should have been all along. So, the great Zane Truesdale is doing late-night vigilante work, eh?"

Zane slumped his head on his pillow. "Oh, great. I suppose everybody knows about that."

"Not quite," Prince Michael said, walking into the room from the library. As usual, he wore a black suit and tie. A black sash was pinned to his shoulder by a large golden brooch in the shape of a six-pointed star. The rubies on his black iron crown sparkled obnoxiously.

He snapped his fingers.

Two knights in steel plate and black capes rolled in a wagon containing the head of Zane's cybernetic prototype. It stood lifeless on the wagon, cables, plate, and rods hung helplessly from the bottom of the head where the neck once was.

"Oh no," Zane mourned. Even though he had it for just a night, Zane felt as though he had lost a dear friend. "Goddesses," he said. "I was just starting to get to know him."

"You can fix it, can't you?" Michael asked, circling the head.

"You really want me to?" Zane asked, feeling rather optimistic. Deep down, he hoped Michael would let him continue working on his Cyber Knight project. "I mean, I can work something out if you want me to. He just needs a few adjustments."

"No," said Michael.

That put a damper on Zane's spirits.

"You're good, Zane, but you're not that good. You still have a lot to learn. I know someone who can help you."

Zane looked up. Even though his face felt horribly stiff and stung just to sniff the air, he couldn't help but form a smile. "You're going to let me help?"

"Doesn't look like I can stop you," Michael replied with a chuckle. "I've known you and Lex since the day I was born, Zane. Even if someone shot all your limbs off and all you had was a trash can and a pencil for defense, you'd take on a dragon if it meant saving Alexis."

"That I would," said Zane. "I know you'd do the same."

Crow giggled and placed both hands on her hips, tilting them to the right. "Let's face it. You two bozos are too stubborn for your own good."

The three of them laughed.

"So what's the plan?" Crow asked. "It's a new day, meaning poor Lex has six days left."

Michael nodded. "Well, even though I told Zane to stay behind, he got more info than we did."

"That was all my doing, thank you!" said Nel-E.

"Who the hell was that?" Crow said looking around.

"She's my personal AI," said Zane. "It gets pretty lonely in here building all this stuff. I need someone to talk to before I start losing my mind."

Crow snorted. "You're building cybernetic dragons and are killing street thugs with it. I'd say you've already lost it, Zane."

"It's actually not a bad idea," said Michael. "Provided we keep this to ourselves."

Crow frowned and crossed her arms. "Uh, just what do you intend to do, Michael? You can't seriously be letting your future House Steward risk his life by doing comic book hero vigilante work."

Michael placed his hands behind his back and looked at her. "Domino Security has been tracking the Aeons since the kidnapping. They're all talking about this Cyber Knight character. Needless to say, after what Zane did, they're running scared. He got their attention. They're panicking and that will make them sloppy. Every mistake they make is one path closer to Alexis."

"If you say so, Your Highness. But if the press catches wind of this..."

"They won't," said Michael. "In fact, they don't even know what happened in Red X Gaming. My men cleaned up the site pretty quickly."

Crow sniggered and gave a whirl of her eyes. "That was a big ass explosion, babe. Someone is bound to notice."

Michael "That part of the district is full of old generators and some faulty wiring. It's bound to happen."

Zane threw his bedsheets off and got out of bed. "Michael, I greatly appreciate this. I'd thank you but there's no time. As you said, we have only six days left. If we're going to find Alexis we have to do so now. You said you knew somebody who could help me with the Cyber Dragon Project. Well, who?"

Michael held up his hand to quell Zane. "I'll give you the details after we've looked at those ribs of yours. If you're going out in the field, you need to be at one-hundred percent. Who knows. Maybe our new friend can help you learn a few things."

"I'm a quick study," Zane replied. He picked up a silver pitcher on his night table and poured himself a glass of water. The pitcher was enchanted with a clever spell that kept it ice cold. "Where can I find this friend of yours?"

Michael gave up. It would have to take a thousand chains to keep Zane down. "I'll text you the address later. Believe me, my friend will get that..." He looked at the prototype's head disdainfully. "Thing up and running so we can head to Level Five. In the meantime, I'm going to get some more help. If we are going to venture into the deepest parts of the underground city, we're going to need someone with a lot of power."

"You know someone?" Zane asked. "Is he good?"

"You should know," said Michael. "He almost beat you in Duelist Academy."

Zane's face shrunk. "You're kidding?" He gave a soft chuckle. "Huh. It's been a while since I've seen that kid."

* * *

**The Emerald Road**

* * *

The golden-haired maiden ran through the forest as fast as her skinny legs could carry her. Behind her, she heard the voices of her pursuers echoing from the behind the thick veil of mist. She had barely escaped them moments before when they assaulted her caravan and killed the guards. She was soaked and sticky with ale that was poured all over her. Her arm was bruised by their powerful grip and her clothes were all but shredded.

Fear. She was rank with it. At that moment she felt as though everyone in the world was after her. The forest itself seemed to lust for her flesh. The branches of dead trees reached out to her, ripping her gown and practically stripping her down to her skin, muddied and scratched. She heard the gang of highwaymen yelling and calling out to her; whistling for her as though she were a household pet. The lust in their voices was as clear as day.

The girl tripped over a log and tumbled down a muddy slope to the creek below. She fell with a splash and hit her head against a rock. It was a light bump, but it stung her awfully and dazed her. She heard the leaves rustling underneath thick, heavy, leather boots. The clanking of their rusty iron armor got louder. She forced herself up and ran.

"There she is!" she heard one of them yell. Upon hearing their voices, she pushed her legs even faster.

Something whooshed past her face. A bolt from a crossbow. More of them flew by, missing her by a hair.

This is it, she thought to herself. She was doomed. There was no escaping now. She felt as if any moment she would feel a sharp pain of a bolt would paralyze her.

She saw something ahead of her. It appeared out of the mist as if born from it. A priory. It looked old and abandoned. The stained glass windows were smashed and the walls were festooned with ivy. The gardens, once green and exploding with color, were overtaken by weeds and covered under a dull gray and brown blanket of dead leaves.

Tombstones poked out of a small cemetery underneath the shadow of an old oak tree. The girl dreaded she would join the dead resting there if there was no one inside the priory. She ran up the steps and banged on the iron door with all her might.

She pulled on the round handle coming out of the bronze dragon's mouth. It would not budge. It was locked tight. While a grim sight, it brought her hope. Mayhaps there was someone in there after all.

She pounded on the door repeatedly. "Sanctuary!" she cried. "Sanctuary, please! Oh, please, give me sanctuary!"

No one came. It was abandoned. It was just as she feared. An axe flipped out of the mist, missing the girl's head by mere inches and stuck itself on the door.

"Stop you fool! You're supposed to hurt her, not kill her!" A scruffy voice shouted from behind the trees.

The men appeared out of the fog brandishing their weapons. "No more games, poppet," sneered a man covered in rusted iron armor over a leather breeches. He was naked from the waist up. He wore a thick hood over his kettle-hat helmet. A truncheon with tallies carved on it was his weapon of choice.

He made command gestures with his hands. The men understood and surrounded the girl. They lifted her up.

"Please," she sobbed. "I beg of you. I'm a Priestess of Ana. The Rose Priestess is very wealthy. She will pay you handsomely in gold and jewels; rare cards if that is what you desire. Just let me go."

"You're all the gold I need," a raider said, coming from behind her and ripping her gown.

"Hey!" someone shouted.

All went silent.

The highwaymen stopped and turned. Someone was standing at the entrance of the priory. A boy, hooded and cloaked in a smelly, brown, and ragged cape. A gold brooch held it over his chest.

"What the hell is going on?" he asked.

"If you know what's good for you, boy, you'll get back inside and mind your own business."

"You're making an incredible racket, man. You woke me up." He saw the girl in their grip. "What are you guys doing to her? Back away."

Another raider stepped forward with a small crossbow. "You back away, ya bloody toon! Get back inside now, or I'll stick ya like a hog." He smiled, revealing yellowed teeth. "And is that brooch of yours made of gold? It will be a great pleasure if ya hand it over."

"No way, man," said the Eldori boy. "I worked hard to earn this. Don't you know this is given to the top ten best students at Duelist Academy?"

"A Duelist, eh? Then I s' pose you've got a deck of rare cards on you. Hand them over as well."

The boy narrowed his eyes. "You need to back out now if you know what's good for you. Step away from the girl, get out of my place, and get lost."

"Very well. We'll just loot your treasure off your corpse."

"You don't want to do that," said the boy. "Leave now."

The bandit fired his crossbow, but something tall and very muscular caught the bolt in a flash. The tip of the arrow was just a mere fingertip from touching the boy's nose.

The bandits gasped and took a step back when they saw the giant standing beside the boy. He just appeared out of nowhere. The men holding the girl dropped her and drew their swords. But they knew they were doomed.

The boy's lips formed a mischievous grin. He was a conjurer no doubt. And a skilled one to summon such a thing.

The giant he summoned was as white as limestone with a body that was just as hard. He had blue orbs on his shoulders and his domed head. A red gem was inlaid on his chest.

"Okay, boys," the conjurer said, wiping his nose with the back of his index finger. "Allow me to introduce...Elemental HERO Terra Firma!"

Terra Firma tossed the arrow away and walked down the steps of the priory. A bandit with a torch foolishly stepped forward. He waved it in underneath the HERO's chin, thinking he could scare it away with fire like he could any other beast.

"Back!" shouted the bandit. "Back! I warn you, monster, stay back!"

Terra Firma looked down at the bandit. He grabbed the burning end of the torch with his bare hand. The flames hissed, smoke billowed from between his fingers. Terra Firma lifted the stunted bandit off the ground. The bandit could not let go of the torch out of the terror he felt. The terror of what this superhero would do to him.

Terra Firma lifted his arm high until he came face-to-face with the bandit. The bandit sobbed and wet his pants as he looked into Terra Firma's lifeless golden eyes. In a split second, Terra Firm punched the bandit in the stomach with enough force to create a shockwave that caused the leaves to flutter through the air and the trees to tremble.

The gang heard a brief shriek of horror. They all looked up in time to see the tiny silhouette of their companion zooming higher and higher into the sky until he disappeared into the atmosphere.

In their shock, they failed to notice the boy running towards them, brandishing a gold sword with a glowing iridescent blade inlaid with seven colorful gems. He decapitated the archer with one quick swipe.

Elemental HERO Terra Firma lunged forward and kicked another bandit clear across the forest and into the fields where he smashed against a rock. The boy blocked one of the bandit's strikes with his vambrace which was plated in mithril. It caused nothing more than bright sparks and chipped the already ill-kept blade.

Terra Firma grabbed the bandit by the head and crushed his skull as if it were clay. He tossed the body over his shoulder and punched through the stomach of another bandit. The boy jumped off Terra Firma's massive forearm and stuck a bandit in the chest before he spun towards another one, sticking him in the face.

In less than a minute, the boy and Elemental HERO Terra Firma stood triumphantly together amongst the pile of dead bandits. Terra Firma crossed his arms over his chest and vanished. The boy pulled off his cloak and gently blanketed it over the girl.

"Thank you," she whispered. She draped the cloak around her shoulders and stood up.

"Think nothing of it," the boy said nervously. He heard storm clouds on the horizon. The trees started swaying violently in the fierce eastern winds. "Uh...looks like quite a storm is coming. Won't you come in?"

"You're so kind. Do you have food? I...I'm a bit famished."

"Fam-who?" the boy replied stupidly.

"Hungry," the girl said, realizing quickly that her knight in shining armor was rather slow in the head.

"Oh," he said awkwardly as he rubbed the back of his head. "I guess I can spare a few snacks."

He allowed her to go in first.

The girl hurried toward the ruined building then stopped. She turned and looked at the boy. "I'm Della," she introduced herself. "Pink Priestess of the Temple of Ana in Birthgarden.

"Hey, Della of uh... All that stuff. I'm Jaden. Jaden Yuki. I just finished my grade school years at Duelist Academy. Now, I want to go back and soar through the ranks of the university levels."

"A pleasure, Jaden," Della said, bowing her head. She felt a raindrop on her nose and hurried inside.

Jaden, meanwhile, dragged the bodies away from the gardens of the priory and tossed them into a cave at the bottom of a large drop behind the cemetery. By the time he got back inside, the storm had arrived. Della was sitting in front of the fire of Jaden's camp located at the priory's central nave. She was staring at the boxes and bags of strange snacks laying around Jaden's duffle bag.

Della did not wish to eat the food without permission so she kept her distance. "Cookies? Pocky? Potato chips? Chocolate milk? I've never seen these delicacies before."

Jaden laughed. He unbuckled the baldric strapped across his chest and sat down on a small wooden stool. "I'm from the East."

"From Domino?" Della gasped. "The City of Light? Your land is rich in technology so I heard. Is it true you travel with flying vehicles and have weapons that can destroy armies of thousands with one blow?"

"I guess so," Jaden said, reaching for a bag of kettle-cooked chips. "Help yourself. I'm not going to need all this by the time I reach Domino."

Della dove in at once. She opened a bag of chocolate raisins. "Oh, it's good. You, easterners, love your sweets."

"You have no idea," said Jaden. "Man, I'm starving. Summoning sure burns lots of calories."

"Where did you learn to Summon that creature?" Della asked, picking up a bag of pretzels.

"You mean Terra Firma?" Jaden asked. "Nah, he's been a buddy of mine since my freshman year of High School. I could always count on him when I was in trouble. I got some sweet new heroes to use now thanks to my training back in Rassay."

"Oh! You were at the capital? What's it like?"

"Complicated," Jaden said with a chuckle. "A country girl like you would not survive there lemme tell ya."

"What did you do there?"

"Learning how to summon monsters. I was there all summer getting taught by the best. But let's talk about you. What were you doing all the way out here in the Emerald Road all alone anyway? It's dangerous in these parts. Highwaymen have been running rampant here since this is the ideal road to take for the Termnnian Banks. And with Prince Yuri's return so close, the Church of Yeyu's been on the fritz. You know they've got Witch Hunters around here that will kill you just on the suspicion that you use magic. And you're a priestess of the goddesses."

"Whom they claim do not exist," Della said furiously. "Yes, I know. Preferably, I would have chosen the bandits over them. Bandits are gentler by comparison."

"That's a nasty comparison."

"At least they let you go when they're done with you. Witch Hunters and other vagabonds of the Church do unspeakable things to women before sending them back north to Naralia to be kept as slaves. Or worse."

"The sooner our long lost prince returns the better," Jaden said, his mood dampened by the topic. "You still haven't answered my question. What were you doing out here?"

"I was delivering something of great importance," Della replied. "A rare and magical stone. But the bandit's leader took it from me and fled down the mountain with his elite squad leaving me to his minions. They must have headed to Domino with it because they said something about usurping the throne from House Dalton. I must get it back, Jaden. Thank the Goddesses I ran into you. You must help me retrieve that stone. Are you by chance a mercenary? Name your price. The Temple of Ana will pay you whatever you like."

Jaden's smiled widened. "Aw, really? That's sweet! One magic stone comin' right up."

His phone suddenly vibrated. "Uh oh," said Jaden. "He doesn't usually call me unless it's for something serious. This must be really bad."


	6. Gifted

**Jaden**

* * *

Jaden jumped out of the Wayshrine and hollered as though he rode a roller coaster. He stretched and jumped up and down with joy. Winged Kuriboh was cowering inside of Jaden's backpack, fearful of the ride.

The Wayshrine flashed and out came Della, still wrapped in his brown cloak. She whimpered as she knelt on the ground. Her cheeks puffed and she vomited and coughed.

Jaden laughed and rubbed the back of his head. "I uh...I guess fast travel isn't the way for you, huh?"

"No..." Della choked. "Dearest Ana, never take me through one of those again."

"Well, it's the best way to get around," said Jaden. "If we walked the whole way, it would have taken us weeks to get here. Not to mention the road is filled with many dangers. You want to run into bandits again?"

"No, of course not," Della said, shaking her head. She paused and marveled at the landscape in front of her. She saw the countryside; a patch quilt of agriculture that could be seen for miles. White houses with blue roofs dotted the landscape and white stone windmills slowly spun by a river with luxury barges sailing through its waters. In the distance, she could see the skyscrapers of Eredas looming over the mountains dominantly.

"Is this Domino?" she asked.

"Nope. Not yet. This is the City of Faircourt, one of the many regions in Eredas. In fact, the country itself is one big gigantic city. Domino is a quick train ride from here, so let's go. But first, I think we need to get you some new clothes. My cloak doesn't exactly fit a girl as charming as you. And it's not right for a lady to smell like corn chips."

Della looked at herself and nodded. "Is there a place where I can find some clothes, Ser Jaden?"

Jaden stared at her and wrinkled his nose. "Ser? I ain't no knight."

"You are in my book," said Della. "I can't thank you enough for saving me from those brigands. Had you not been there I..."

Jaden held up his hand to silence her. "Say no more," he said. "Come on, I know someone who can help us out. Madame Celeste's tavern is just down that way. She owns a boutique as well. Trust me, she'll take care of you. In the meantime, I'm going to need some money."

"Money?"

"Yeah, getting a train from Faircourt to Domino isn't cheap. Lucky for us, there's a tournament going on in the town square."

He reached into his pocket and showed her a flier. It was wrinkled, ripped, and stained with cheese from a pizza he ate earlier. There was a grand prize of 1500 in gold, a gold plate, which was worth another 500, and a special prize card called E HERO Pit Boss.

"That's two-thousand in gold," said Jaden. "Enough for you and me to take the train to Domino." He tossed her a burlap sack. Inside were gold coins, a Star Chip, and a chipped ruby and half an emerald. "That's for your clothes. Come on."

He led Della down a dirt road to a modest establishment perched by the river. It was white with a red roof, and the walls were festooned with ivy. A water wheel slowly spun in the back of the tavern. Cows were grazing behind a white fence and chickens and geese waddled about outside the tavern. A brick chimney perfumed the air with the smell of sweet, freshly baked pastries and meat.

Jaden led Della through the entrance of the boutique, which was built into the tavern. He pushed open the windowed door and a bell rang above them. It smelled of perfume and silks in there. Mannequins stood in front of the windows advertising the craft Madame Celeste was selling.

"Jaden!" said the woman. She was a Sunborne, with dark skin and bright golden eyes. She wore a pink and white gown with ruffles and ribbons. "How was your trip to Rasaay?"

"It was great," Jaden answered. "I uh...I brought a friend."

Della peered behind his sword like a curious fox.

"Don't be shy, my dear," said Madame Celeste. She introduced herself and welcome Della to her store. "What happened to her, Jaden? She looks scared to death."

"I rescued her from some bandits on the road but they left her without a stitch of clothing."

"Are they all dead?" Celeste asked furiously.

Jaden slid his finger across his throat. "Terra Firma and I gave them painful deaths."

"Good," Madame Celeste said, walking from behind the counter towards Della to get a better look at her. "Oh, the poor thing. There's no need to be scared, you're safe now. I know you must have been through a lot, so how about I let you pick out an outfit free of charge?"

"You would do that?" Della asked.

"I told ya," said Jaden. "Celeste is the best around."

"Yes, but first, she's going to need a bath." She sniffed the cloak. "Augh, Jaden, I put my heart and soul into that cloak and you make it reek like that?"

"Sorry," he said with a shrug. "I don't have a lot of napkins."

"Ugh, I'll get it washed for you, but that's going to cost you two silver coins."

Jaden shrugged and put the coins on the counter. "There you go."

"Mmm-hmm. Come on, dear, let's freshen you up." She led Della to her quarters upstairs to clean her up from all the filth she collected on the road and hopefully wash away the stench of Jaden's cloak.

Meanwhile, Jaden walked outside and sat on a bench to wait for her to come out. His belly started to rumble, so he approached a nearby food cart and ordered a turkey drumstick. As he ate his lunch, someone approached him. A lad about sixteen wearing a red sweater and torn brown trousers.

"You a Duelist?" he said.

"Uh-huh?" Jaden replied, ripping a piece of meat out with his teeth. "What can I do ya for?"

"I'm in need of a warm-up before the tournament starts. How's about a little one-on-one?"

Jaden, not one to deny a Duel, jumped out of his seat, more than happy to oblige. "A Duel?" he said. "You bet! Get your game on!"

**LP 4000**

"I hope you're ready!" shouted the boy. "I summon a monster in defense mode and end my turn."

"That's all, huh?" Jaden drew. "I summon Elemental HERO Blazeman! With his effect, I can add a Polymerization to my hand. And I'm gonna use it. I combine Elemental Hero Sparkman and Avion to create Elemental HERO Grandmerge!"

"Impressive monster, Ser Jaden," a girl with a sweet voice said from behind him.

"Thanks," Jaden said, turning to look at her. His eyes widened. "Woah!"

She looked rather different now. Madame Celeste threw out her old medieval rags and gave her clothing to suit the culture of the East. She was sporting a pink crop top with black sleeves and a splattered heart logo on the front with the silhouette of a Stardust Dragon orbiting around it. Her torn dress was replaced by a denim skirt with a pink belt. Knee-length socks, pink with black bands, warmed her legs and her sneakers were white with pink laces.

"Hey!" Jaden's opponent shouted. "Stop staring! We've got a Duel over here."

"Right, sure," said Jaden.

He attacked the face-down monster with Grandmerge. The monster was nothing more than a Basic Insect. With that creature's destruction, Jaden activated Grandmerge's effect. He used him as a tribute to summon Elemental HERO Shining Flare Wingman with an ATK power of 2800.

With the ability to gain 300 ATK for every HERO in the Graveyard, Shining Flare Wingman's ATK increased to 3700. He attacked directly with Shining Flare Wingman and Blazeman, ending the Duel in no time.

BOOM!

The boy yelled and flew across the field. He landed on his back and groaned.

"Della!" Jaden said, amazed to see her attire. "You...you look amazing."

"Thank you," Della said bashfully. She looked away. "So, that was a Duel."

"Don't tell me you've never seen a Duel before!"

Della shook her head. "No, never. I spent most of my life in the Temple of Ana. As such, I'm not allowed out into the city very often. The only reason I left was because of the stone we had to transport. I can't say anything more about it, however."

"That's okay," Jaden said, resting the back of his head on his hands. "So long as I get paid at the end, you can keep all the secrets you want."

"I admire that," said Della. "So, do Duels usually end so quickly? I felt like a blinked and it ended."

"Ah, that's because he had no skill," said Jaden. "Once the tournament starts, I'll show you some real Dueling."

"Wonderful," Della said happily. Her stomach growled like a bear. She gasped and clutched her tummy.

Jaden chuckled. "But first, lemme get ya somethin' to eat."

* * *

**Zane**

* * *

The Gray Wyvern. Not a place Zane would have chosen to meet someone of his stature. Not that it was a bad place, mind you. It was a hot spot for students who just finished classes at the Lanchester Academy for Gifted Youths. That school was a place for inventors and mathematicians capable of solving equations in seconds. He got served his fifth plate of kettle-cooked chips and his second bottle of soda. Still, Prince Michael's friend had not arrived. He checked his watch. It was 4 PM, where the hell was this person?

Zane sighed and looked up at the television screen. More videos with demands from the Aeons were being shown followed by images of the explosion left behind from the battle with the Gate Guardian. He pounded his fist on the table just thinking about the beast. How in the world did his summoner, Dargon, have enough power to conjure such a creature?

He growled. The hows and whys didn't matter. Gate Guardian was a new foe and he needed to find a way to get rid of it. Especially if it could shoot down and rip apart his Cyber Dragon prototype so easily. He was sure he worked on that thing long enough to make it somewhat invincible on the field. Against a group of Aeons, sure, his machine was a powerful weapon. But a monster? He wasn't anticipating that.

_How can I beat a guy who's able to summon something so powerful?_ Zane wondered to himself. _With that Gate Guardian in play, I don't have the advantage anymore. I sure hope this friend of Prince Michael's is as good as he says he is. Otherwise, I'm out of the fight. Damn it! I was so close to bringing her home. She was in my arms. She was right there!_

He squeezed his glass. _I'm sorry, Alexis. Just hang in there a little while longer._

Another hour passed. Still, Michael's friend did not arrive. It was starting to get dark and Zane was growing frustrated. All this time he spent here waiting for Michael's friend, he could have been making repairs or upgrades to the Cyber Dragon.

The door to the inn opened making the bell ring. A girl walked into the tavern and when she did a lot of boy's heads turned to look at her. Whispers fluttered about the tavern like a summer breeze and faces turned red. Though the girl had her hip cocked to one side, she had a very commanding presence. Her sunny blonde hair was messy and wavy, going down to her back. Despite how late it was, she wore her school outfit from Lanchester Academy. A white blouse with a black tie, plaid skirt, leg-length white socks, and black high heels. Her blazer was wrapped around her waist and she carried a gray messenger bag that was worn out and covered with stickers and collector pins.

She approached the bar and smiled at the man behind the counter. "Orange soda, please," she said, leaning provocatively against the counter.

"You got it, Kara," the bartender said. He went to the fridge looking for her drink.

Sitting next to Kara was a lad from school who studied her from top to bottom. Kara felt his gaze on her, but she cared not and remained where she was. She took out her phone and started reading news articles, which were buzzing with activity.

"What's the story on this guy with a metal dragon?" she asked the bartender.

The man was pushing bottles aside, still looking around for the blasted drink. "I dunno," he said. "There aren't many details about him. Word on the street is he gave the Aeons a pounding. One of my pals in the Domino PD says he was over at the ports and saw them massacred."

"Interesting," Kara said, tapping the counter. "If you don't have orange, I'll just take a regular soda."

"No, no, I've got it in here somewhere." He chuckled. "This new cooler we had installed is bigger than I thought."

The lad sitting next to Kara could contain himself no more. Kara's skirt was going up and it was just so tantalizing for him. But Kara, who was so used to such childish behavior, grew eyes in the back of her head. She could practically feel his hand getting close to her backside.

"If you favor your hand, back the hell off," she said.

The lad, who was a muscular person, took her threat lightly and went for the peek. But with lightning-quick movements, Kara grabbed his arm and flipped him over, smashing him on the ground. The other patrons cheered and whistled.

"Here you go, honey," the bartender said, finally handing her an orange soda. "Nice work."

The lad groaned on the ground. "She ripped my shoulder out of its socket!" he roared.

"Serves you right," said the bartender.

But the attacker was not finished. "Come here, you!" he said, marching towards her. Without turning, Kara smacked him in the face with a lunging back kick, knocking him out. He sighed in agony and fell backward, landing on the floor with a loud thud. Security came by and dragged the lad out of the establishment.

"Whoa," said Zane.

Kara looked at Zane and winked before strutting towards his booth. She sat down on her end. "You the Cyber Knight?" she asked.

"Shh, not so loud," said Zane. "I'm pretty sure Prince Michael told you to be discreet."

"Meh, whatever. He tells me you've got a big project that needs taking care of."

"And I think he got the wrong person for the job," said Zane. "You're just..."

"What?" Kara asked, rocking her head from side to side.

"You're just a student."

"I'm nineteen, dude."

"Either way, you're still in the process of learning. My designs are way out of your league."

Kara reared her head back and started laughing. "You've got to be kidding me? You call that giant chrome Slinky out of my league?"

"Huh?"

"You know about the rail cannons they had placed on the walls outside the city?" She jerked her thumb at herself. "I designed them myself."

"You what?"

"Uh-huh. And I had a hand helping Seto Kaiba with those Generation Five Duel Disks. I also developed the schematics for the Space Elevator he plans to build really soon."

"You're..."

Kara's icy gray eyes twinkled and she smiled. "Gifted? No, I'm more than that. I've been blessed with great knowledge by Tenna herself. Probably a reward for my father, who was a great scholar, inventor, and devoted follower of the Goddess. I've been inventing things since the day I could walk."

"The Kiss of Tenna," said Zane. "Now, that's a rare gift. Seto Kaiba is probably the only I know who has it."

Kara laughed. "You know he's been gifted by the Goddesses if he can make a jet with an aerodynamically incompetent design fly. Yup. Every once in a while, a genius like he and I are born. And it's your lucky day my good fellow because this one wants to help you out. Kara Kestrel." She held out her hand.

Zane shook it. "Nice to meet you, Kara. I'm going to need all the help I can get."

Kara nodded. "I want to help. Alexis was one of my best friends growing up in Lorin. We played together a lot."

"How?"

"My mother was her Lady-in-Waiting and my father served the Queen in the royal archives."

"I never heard about you until now."

"Alexis didn't talk about me much. Our friendship was...complicated. As she and I grew older..." She paused and started giggling.

"What?" Zane asked.

Kara formed and ear-to-ear grin and mischievously bit her lip. "We started playing kissing games by the fountain in the courtyard."

"Oh..."

"We don't roll like that," she said patting his hand. "We were blooming into our womanhood and decided to...experiment. Yeah, it was fun at first, but she started growing uncomfortable. It just wasn't her thing. Boy, that made things awkward. After mom passed away, we saw less and less of each other. Before you know it, Dad moves us to Domino. I only messaged her every now and then. She went the path of the Duelist, I went down the path of the scientist."

"She means a lot to you, huh?"

"Of course, she does. She's my friend. We've drifted apart but we still care about each other. Well, enough with this wishy-washy stuff. Show me the schematics for that prototype."

"Not here," said Zane. He put two Star Chips on the table and escorted Kara out to his car. As soon as he drove off, he reached into the pocket of his black blazer, pulling out a device that displayed Zane's dragon in holographic form.

"Interesting," Kara said, taking the device and examining the schematics. "Way cool. But why a dragon?"

"The Cyber Dragon has been the symbol of my house since the dawn of technology," said Zane. "I want everyone to see his power outside of Duel Monsters as well. I tried to make it look like the card, but he just wound up looking the way he did. He was able to withstand quite a bit of punishment, but one of the Aeons was a powerful summoner who took him down."

Kara nodded and examined the design more thoroughly. "Your machine is pretty good. But how did you not think to add some sort of magic-resistant armor? You are going up against a gang of mages after all."

"Is such a thing possible?"

Kara burst out laughing. "And you say I'm out of my league. I have a feeling this is going to be a long night, Zane. There's a lot I have to teach you if you want this thing to work the way you want it."

"I'm a quick study, Kara. Show me everything."

He took her back to his room in the House of Gray. She looked around, nodding at every piece of furniture and the number of computers and holographic screens fading and appearing all over the room. She cringed at the mess Zane had on his desk, and his bed was unkempt and smelled of his bodily fluids.

"Don't worry," he said, leading her upstairs. "There's an empty chamber upstairs that I used mostly for storage. You can use it if you wish."

"It will have to do," Kara said, following him up the stairs. She stopped in her tracks and gasped when she saw a metallic serpent snarling at her from the center of Zane's laboratory.

The creature roared, causing Kara to scream wildly. The serpent had tubes along the sides his body, keeping him anchored to the ringed platform at the center of the lab.

"WHAT THE HELL!?" she shouted.

"It's okay!" Zane yelled, waving his hands to keep her calm. "This is him. Well...what's left of him. This is just his core (**Cyber Dragon Core**). It's a modified version of what I had in the prototype. It's okay, he's harmless."

"You made him so real," Kara said breathing heavily as she leaned back against the railing. "Goddesses, how is that accomplished?"

"It was tricky," Zane replied, sitting behind his desk. He quickly typed something on his laptop. The laboratory rumbled. A thick, glowing, red liquid oozed through the tubes and into the _core_ as Zane called it.

"What is that?" Kara asked.

"A cooling solution," Zane replied. "He heats up really quickly. In order for me to keep him brisk and efficient, I have to get rid of a few functions. But that's not in the cards for me. I need them. If I do proceed to get rid of his flight and weapons systems, he might as well be some metal snake on the ground."

Kara marveled at his invention, but she still kept her distance. "As if he wasn't scary enough, now you want him to fly!"

Zane patted her back. "Get used to him, Kara. You're going to be working with him until we find Alexis."

"Charmed," Kara said, sarcastically. She looked at the Core one last time before following Zane into the empty chamber that would be her own laboratory. There was a solitary desk with a computer placed by the glass wall. Kara, again, nodded and examined her seat. She slid her messenger bag off and sat down. "What do you want to do, Zane?"

He showed her the Cyber Dragon card. "I want him to look like this."

Kara took the card from him and, again, nodded. "It doesn't look all that complicated for me. You already have the thing's core up and running so that saves me the job of working on his AI." She cracked her knuckles. "I'm going to need a lot in terms of materials and hardware. And it's not going to be cheap."

"Of course. And if there's anything you need, fill out a requisitions order. I'll take care of the rest. It's coming out of my pocket."

Kara smiled. "You're going to regret that, Your Lordship."

Zane smiled back. "Try me."

* * *

**Lore**

* * *

**Tenna:** Goddess of Knowledge. Ruler of machinations. Tenna is associated with mathematics, science, alchemy, and medicine. The Machine and Psychic-Type monsters are her creation.

She is the one who gave the people of the land of Eredas the blueprints to create a vast city of technology which would one day be called Domino. She loves the races of Keya and is eager to fill their heads with knowledge so as to move Termnnia forward.

Though she is loving towards the people, most are not fond of her. Those who live to the West, the North, and the South are not too pleased with the foundation of Eredas.

Some folk find the gift of technology blasphemous and deceitful as it is a spit on the gifts the Eldari and the Stars have given the people of Termmnia. For this, her only chapel is located in Battle City, a man-made island off the coast of Domino.

She blesses those who pray to her with increased intelligence for a limited time. For this, many schools and universities prohibit students to pray to her during test days.


	7. Cybernetic Revolution

**Alexis**

* * *

Eve of the second day and no one has even tried making an effort to find her. Were the Aeons that good at keeping themselves hidden? How? There must be more to this gang that meets the eye. Alexis would have seen that especially after being their prisoner for almost 48 hours. But the gang made absolutely sure to keep her locked inside her cell when they weren't on the move. If they were, she was confined to their limo, surrounded by fire mages. And not just any fire mages. These were masters of their craft. Dangerous individuals who could burn her to cinders with the snap of her fingers. She did not want to test them, for she saw their power with her own eyes. Apparently, someone survived the Cyber Knight's rampage the night before. Instead of showing him sympathy, King Aldric had him executed.

Indeed with one snap of the fingers, the wizard burned the poor guy into cinders. Even though she was afraid and humiliated, Alexis maintained calm. Not only would these guys be the death of her, but they could be the death of thousands of innocent people. Her mother was not a patient woman and had a hot temperament to boot. She went to war with people who called her fat for heaven's sake. If Alexis died, the Queen-Mother would surely blame King Eldon for her death and send her army of one million strong to attack Eredas for their lack of action in saving Alexis.

She looked outside and noticed they were at the docks. Trucks were parked in a perfect line as the Aeons and another gang known as the Lords of 113 were putting boxes of toys into their containers.

Alexis suddenly felt pressure around her neck and coughed. She glared at a girl with flaming pink hair and eyes radiating bright blue from her magical augmentations. She held on tightly to a leash attached a collar King Aldric placed around Alexis's neck with a built-in shocking mechanism if she misbehaved and a tracking device if she ran away. The girl's name was Fahrenheit. She was once a master of pyromancy at the Citadel of Mages in Katina. Alexis had seen her conjure walls of fire and animated her flames to look like serpents and birds to scare the police away. To make matters worse, she was King Aldric's right-hand woman, specially tasked with keeping an eye on the princess. She had way too much fun with that aspect.

"I'm not doing anything!" Alexis shouted, swatting the leash away. Fahrenheit grinned and tugged the leash even harder, pulling Alexis down on top of her lap. She started petting her hair, to which Alexis slapped her hand away at once and sat back up. "Why do you have to be so obnoxious?" she yelled.

King Aldric laughed, pouring himself a glass of a green, glowing liquid. "You'll get used to her, Princess." He checked his watch. Midnight. "Day three," he said. "And not a single rescue. Of course, there is that one guy who went after you. The so-called hero with the metal dragon. You wouldn't happen to know who he is, do you?"

"I haven't a clue?" Alexis said shaking her head, refusing the drink King Aldric offered. She felt Fahrenheit pet her again and knocked her hand away. "Knock it off, will you?" she snapped.

"Don't lie to me, Alexis," King Aldric said, twisting a lock of his hair around his finger. "Lying to me is hazardous to your health."

"Keeping me prisoner is hazardous to your health," Alexis retorted. "I have powerful friends. You're going to regret this. I promise you that when this is over, you'll be begging for death." Fahrenheit yanked on the leash again. "ACK!" Alexis croaked.

"Don't be so sure about that," Fahrenheit finally said. "Can I shock her?"

"No," King Aldric said, holding up his hand. "Don't. Leave her be. Let her have hope. It will make her despair in the future much more pleasurable to enjoy."

The door to the limo opened. A man came inside. He wore a messy, smelly, brown leather jacket over a tropical red shirt and khaki trousers. He had long, black hair going down the back of his head, the top was balding. And he a distinctive, grizzled beard. He was terribly stout and reeked of tobacco and old fast food. In fact, a stringy piece of a french fry dangled from his mustache. He was soaked by the rain and chilled by it, too. He warmed his hands by the heater. The moisture made the man's terrible smell worse. Alexis's face scrunched with displeasure, and she looked away.

The man grinned at the two beautiful girls sitting in front of him. "Nice," he said.

"Leave her alone," said King Aldric. "How are things looking out there?"

"The rain isn't letting up," said the man. "But our boys are working hard to make sure your money gets delivered as scheduled."

"Good. Here's your cut."

Aldric handed the man a polished maple case with gold hinges and a leather handle. The man opened it and saw tubes with gold coins inside. "Very good. Pleasure doing business with you. I'll make sure the officers at the checkpoints in town look the other way."

"And if the don't?"

"Oh, believe me, they will. I have contacts in Shadow Company, who will no doubt pay them a visit."

"Do you?" King Aldric said intrigued. He opened a secret fridge by his seat and opened it. He took out a golden bottle of brandy and showed it to him. The man bobbed his head left and right to show he would like to sample the drink. "And could you by any chance you could get this elite PMC to offer their services to me? I'm worried about this Cyber Knight fellow who tried to rescue our Princess. I have a hunch he'll be coming back."

"I think I can work something out," said the man. "Provided they get paid."

"They will be properly paid," said Aldric. "And you, too. I know a few individuals in the banks who also would like to see the Church taken out of the picture. And the Dalton Family as well. They have given my organization a rather generous donation."

"I see," said the man, taking the drink and clinking the glass together with Aldric's.

Alexis shook her head, not believing what she was seeing.

* * *

Outside, Aldric's men and members from the other gangs were hard at work loading Aldric's gold into the containers. A supervisor from the Aeons walked around with a tablet in his hands, counting the gold and to make sure the workers weren't slacking off. He wore a visor over his eyes made of chrome with glowing blue lenses that displayed windows of information.

"How long before we're done?" asked the supervisor.

"Not long," said a disgruntled worker. He sniffed loudly, for he caught a cold an hour earlier. "Just ten more crates to go."

"Make it snappy," said the supervisor. "We want to get out of here before we run into trouble. And with that Cyber Knight guy out there, I'm nervous."

"Hey, Dargon beat him," said one of the workers. "He scrapped his metal dragon to pieces. Sure, he killed a few of our boys, but he was eventually stopped."

"That's beside the point," the supervisor said, scanning the stormy skies. "This city is full of surprises. And let's not forget Prince Michael and his Archfiends are hunting us."

"Prince Michael is about to go out of town," said another worker. "Didn't you hear? Prince Yuri is due to come back next summer. And since Michael is one of the Crown Prince of Domino, he's been chosen by Yugi to serve in the Royal Alliance."

"That position is about to go to King Aldric," said the supervisor. "Alexis is due for another beating tonight. The Daltons will break. Not only do they not want to see Alexis getting hurt, but they don't wanna risk open war with Lorin. They'll cave in. And before you know it, we're gonna be up there."

He pointed at the House of Gray, dominating every building in Domino. He grinned, but then he heard a scream coming from the darkness between two containers. He turned in time to see something bright white and shining zoom from between the containers before vanishing into the night.

"What the hell?" he said. He put his fingers on his earpiece. "Noctis Twelve, what's going one?" No answer. "Noctis Twelve this is Azure One, respond!"

He heard a scream coming from behind the warehouse, followed by gunshots. And then silence. "This is Azure One to Butcher Seven. Respond Butcher Seven. Butcher Seven, what's going on over there? Hey, I'm not getting anything from Butcher Seven and Noctis Twelve just vanished. Talon One and Two, check it out."

The gang members readied their weapons and those who could practice magic put on enchanted accessories to boost the damage of their magical attacks. Azure One put the tablet away and shouted at the other workers to hurry and load the money away. "It's me," he said King Aldric. "We've got a situation out here."

"Handle it," said King Aldric. "Follett, sorry, but we've got trouble out there. I've got to bail."

Follett took a jeweled, engraved, golden magnum out of his jacket. "I'll check it out. See you in Level Five after tomorrow." He got out of the car and ran. King Aldric's limo sped away.

"What the hell is going on out here!?" shouted Follett.

"I don't know!" shouted Azure One. "My guys are getting picked off left and right!"

Follett stomped on the ground. "All right, leave the rest behind for now. The containers that are full, get them out of here at once. Get them to the Underground as fast as you can!"

The workers shut the containers. The drivers turned their trucks on and drove off into the night. Crow was watching from the shadows. "It worked," she whispered into her phone. "They're scattering like roaches in the light."

"Leave the docks to us," said Prince Michael. "I think Zane's having a little too much fun with his new toy."

Crow giggled and held out her hand. It froze over, cold steam danced over her fingers. She smashed her frozen fist on the ground, creating a ring of ice beneath her. Inside the ice was a light blue arcane circle. Crow smashed the ice and summoned her faithful companion. From the frozen dimension of the Ice Barrier, she callled upon Dewloren, Tiger King of the Ice Barrier. He growled and shook his arctic blue fur with snowy-white stripes. He was adorned in cerulean armor trimmed in gold. Crow wrapped her arms around the Tiger King's neck and kissed the top of his head.

"Feeling frisky tonight, pal?" she asked.

Dewloren growled in reply. He was more than ready to stop evildoers. Crow climbed on top of his back. "Let's go!"

The Tiger King roared and sped after the trucks. A homeless man warming himself up to vodka saw her speeding by. He groaned and took a long gulp of his drink.

Meanwhile, Aeon gunmen scoured about the docks, looking for their assailant. Azure One hurried toward a red container. "We need to get this one out pronto," he said.

"Why this one?" asked Follett. He opened a small window to look inside. What he saw disgusted him. There were children in there. They were crying and calling to be let loose. "What the hell is this?"

"We rescued them from the Church," said Azure One. "I wanted to let them out, but Aldric told me to keep them in there until he figured out what to do with them. Now that he's gone, I guess we have to leave them to their fate. Or...since you're in the Domino PD, you can take them. You'll make yourself look like a hero."

"I like your thinking, kid. But first we need to get rid of..."

AAAACCKKK!

Follett turned around. Azure One was gone. Forget the kids, Follett turned and ran to get as far away from the docks as he possibly could, leaving the Aeons to their fate.

They huddled together in the center of the docks, cornered like rats, pointing their weapons at spells in all directions, and firing them at every shadow they saw.

"We know you're out there!" shouted a member of the Lords of 113. "You can't stop all of us!"

"I beg to differ..."

He gasped and turned around. The Cyber Knight stood in front of him. With one powerful punch, he flew across the docks and smashed against a container. Zane was pleased with the new upgrades to his exoskeleton, which was now a suit of armor. It was sleek white with neon blue patterns complete with a holographic surcoat around his waist. His armor made him look like the knights in the West. He felt like his favorite heroes. Norman the Conqueror who tamed the God Cards in his platinum armor. Ser Joey Wheeler the Black Dragonknight combining his magical Duel Armor with his Red-Eyes. Or Prince Stas of Monde, who won the War of the Golden Summer in gold enammeled suit of armor sparkling with jewels in all the colors of the rainbow.

Now he could join them. If he was successful this night, he just knew that he would one day be sung about in songs and tales.

Two Aeons with rifles snapped him out of his dilly-dally. He held up his palm and created a shield with blue, hexagon-shaped tiles tinged with green. The bullets could not penetrate the shield. An Aeon with magic came up from behind and unleashed currents of lightning from both of his palms. But they rebounded off of Zane's armor.

"Thanks for that, Kara," Zane said, sniggering at the mage, who was still blasting him with lighting. "Your magic-resistant armor is working like a dream."

"Glad to hear," said Kara, watching the battle from her laptop. She sat on her bed, her legs crisscrossed underneath her. All she wore was a long, gray, shirt as pajamas. She had a string of licorice in her fingers, enjoying the show taking place on her screen, thanks to the dozens of cameras she placed on Zane's armor. She saw him blast an Aeon with his laser cannons, now improved to shoot rapidly.

"Ouch," she laughed. "That looked like it hurt."

"Warning!" said Nel-E. "Dimensional rupture detected."

"Uh-oh." Kara placed the mouthpiece of her headset over her lips. "Zane heads up. Someone just summoned something. And it's big!"

"Wha...?"

Zane was pushed away by a powerful torrent of boiling, hot water. He anchored his boots to the ground to keep himself from being swept away. The ground shook with heavy footsteps. Gate Guardian. And standing directly under him was Dargon, the Ace Summoner of the Aeons.

"Nice set of armor you got there," he said, hands still in his pockets. "It's going to look on King Aldric after I loot it from your corpse. You just never learn, do you?"

Zane laughed. "I always learn. It's what makes me so powerful. No matter how many times I fall, I come back stronger."

The containers behind him fell down and collapsed on the ground with a loud crash. Zane's new and improved Cyber Dragon (**ATK 2100**) roared and slithered behind him. It loomed higher and higher until it stood directly over even the Gate Guardian. The creature was coated in a sleek, reflective, white paint. It had bright yellow eyes and even a tongue to give him life. It roared at Gate Guardian. Gate Guardian bellowed loudly and thumped his fists over his chest.

"Strident Blast!" shouted Zane.

Cyber Dragon unleashed a fiery-yellow laser attack from its mouth. Dargon ducked. The blast flew over him and struck Gate Guardian in the chest. It pushed him back twenty feet. Cyber Dragon had to cool down its attack and ceased the attack. It closed its mouth, steam hissing from its teeth.

"So he has a little more firepower," laughed Dargon. "Gate Guardian, destroy his dragon now! Thuderstroke!"

Gate Guardian's pieces worked together to form an all-powerful attack. The water and winds mixed with lightning and flew towards Cyber Dragon. Compartments opened down Cyber Dragon's body. Drones flew out and formed a circle in front of him. The drones then formed an arcane barrier of fantastical design that stopped the attack dead in its tracks.

"Impossible!" shouted Dargon.

Cyber Dragon roared as if taunting him. The drones dispersed, allowing him to launch a second attack.

"Strident Blast!" Zane shouted again.

Cyber Dragon fired again. Gate Guardian braced himself for the attack. It struck him in the chest, sparks flew everywhere and he was knocked back. He dug his feet on the ground to keep himself from being knocked back any further.

"Impressive," said Dargon. "But as strong as he is, your dragon cannot defeat my Gate Guardian. You were foolish to take us on alone."

Zane chuckled. "Who said we were alone?"

That made Dargon quiver with fear. "Huh?" he turned around in time to see two metallic bodies coil around Gate Guardian's arms. He could not believe what he was seeing. Zane had two more of the damn things!

The two Cyber Dragons screeched and hissed, lifting Gate Guardian up higher and higher into the air. They pulled with all their might until they ripped his arms off. Gate Guardian howled in agony and fell. The three Cyber Dragons each launched their own bursts of Strident Blast at the creature as it continued to fall. The attacks proved too much for him. He exploded in mid-air, falling back to earth like a flaming comet. Dargon stood where he was, screaming in horror. His monster's burning ruin fell right on top of him and exploded one last time.

All three Cyber Dragons roared victoriously.

Zane's helmet de-materialized. He wanted to see his monsters with his own eyes. Something snarled behind him. He turned to look. Terrorking Archfiend stood behind Prince Micheal.

"Did you leave anything for us?" Michael asked.

"Nope. But if you're lucky, you can help Crow tack down the trucks with King Aldric's gold. "Sounds good to me." He took out his phone. "Crow where are you?"

"Uh, I'm a little busy right now," she said, still riding on top of Dewloren. He sped after the trucks with great speed through the streets of the Dragon Garden's District. "What's up?"

"Where are you?"

"Don't worry about me, I've got things taken care of."

A car with gunmen riding in the back shot down their windows and started firing at Crow.

"Guns? Come on, you guys are so old-school." She held out her palm and formed a thick shield of ice with the design of a snowflake emitting blue light deep inside. She held it over her face, blocking the bullets. The shield didn't even crack.

With her free hand, Crow fired ice spikes, blasting the tires of the car. It swerved wildly and crashed into a nearby alleyway. An SUV limousine sped up from behind her. Dewloren roared and moved out of the way before it could ram them.

"That wasn't nice!" she shouted. The windows rolled down. Mages and gunmen began assaulting her with bullets and magic. In one split second, Crow saw Alexis screaming for help from inside.

"I FOUND HER!" she shouted.

"Who?" Michael asked. "What's going on?"

"ALEXIS! THE PRINCESS! SHE'S IN THE BACK OF A LIMO!"

That was all Zane needed to hear. Booster wings formed out of his back, but before he could take off, Michael commanded him to stop.

"What about them?" he said, referring to the children.

Zane paused. Michael was right. He couldn't just leave them there. "All right, you two, take them to the Domino City Police headquarters. You, come with me."

The Cyber Dragons hissed and got to work. The children oohed and ahhed as their saviors picked them up from the docks and carried them off to safety.

"The Church is going to answer for this," said Zane zooming off into the city. His Cyber Dragon followed.

Down below, Michael took a rifle from the back of his jet-black sports car and then raced after him. Terrorking Archfiend spread his wings and followed him. The homeless man from before looked to the sky. He saw a knight with wings zoom over him with a cybernetic, white dragon trailing not too far behind. Then a black car raced down the street with a crowned demon soaring above.

The homeless man shook his head and poured his drink down the drain.

Zane found Crow, the trucks, and the limo in no time. He dove with great speed to fly above it. Cyber Dragon fired a vermillion-colored laser from his eyes, blasting the tires of one of the money trucks. It deviated violently and fell on its side, coming to a stop.

"DAMN!" shouted King Aldric. That was 500,000 in gold he just lost. "SEND THE WORD!" he shouted furiously on his radio. "TAKE THAT DRAGON DOWN! A MILLION GOLD TO ANYONE WHO BRINGS ME HIS HEAD!"

Before Zane knew it, he and Cyber Dragon were getting shot it from all directions. Three black SUV's trailing Alrdic's limo formed a perfect triangle to guard the vehicle. The tops opened and gunners with miniguns rose out.

"Oh, crap!" shouted Zane. He rolled out of the way. Cyber Dragon flew down another street to avoid the bullets.

The SUV in the front searched for Cyber Dragon. "Where are you?" said the gunner. Cyber Dragon appeared and flew towards him. "Your mine!" the gunner sneered.

Those were his last words, for Terrorking Archfiend came out of nowhere and sliced his head clean off. He then smashed the SUV with his sword. The limo driver cursed and tried to swerve out of the way. Michael came speeding out from an alleyway in his car. He rolled the window down and started shooting the limo. Unfortunately, it was well-armored, making it bulletproof.

"Shit!" he cursed, swerving to another road to avoid the traffic in front of him. Cyber Dragon flew down and smashed the front of the limo with his body.

"YES!" shouted Zane. "We got her!"

Crow and Dewloren hurried to the wreckage of the limo. "Princess!" she shouted. "Princess it's me, Crow. Don't worry we've got you."

She opened the door. No one was in there. But that was the least of her worries. She heard an ominous beeping on the floor. She looked down in time to see a metal egg-shaped object counting the last two seconds down before detonation.

"Of fu..."

The limo exploded. Frightened civilians ran from the streets to find shelter.

"CROW!" Michael shouted, running out of his car. "CROW! CROW! NO!"

When the flames subsided, he saw that Crow as entombed in a coffin of ice. Dewloren saved her just a mere millisecond before the blast could kill her. He, however, was no so fortunate. He was on the ground, cooked and injured. Zane landed beside him and knelt down. The creature whimpered and whined.

"You've done enough," he said. "Rest. You'll get your revenge soon enough." Dewloren's head slumped on the ground and he burst into thousands of snowflakes, blown away by a gust of cold wind. Zane looked at the flaming wreckage of the limo.

"Don't worry," said Michael. "They must have bailed during the battle. King Aldric is many things. But a brave man? No. He would never take his life."

"It doesn't matter!" Zane growled. "I lost her again!"

"Relax, will you? When all is said and done, we'll get them back for this. Without their Gate Guardian, they won't be so bold next time."

Police sirens wailed in the distance.

"Let's get out of here," Michael said. "Can you get her back to your place?"

Zane didn't reply, but he nodded. Cyber Dragon needed no orders. He picked up the icy box with his mouth and flew off into the night. Zane got up and went after him, while Michael got back into his car and sped away.

* * *

**King Aldric**

* * *

"That was close!" he shouted, holding tightly onto Alexis and covering her mouth. They remained hidden in an alleyway. "Think we lost 'em?"

"We sure did," laughed Fahrenheit. "They must have overshot us by a week and a half. I just got word from the drivers. They're on their way down to the slums. The bomb slowed the Cyber Knight and Prince Michael down. It looks like we got that amateur frost mage, Crow, in the process, too."

"Good work," Aldric said.

He heard a car backing up towards them. Follett leaned out the window. "Come on, let's go!" he shouted. "The cops will be here any minute."

"Come on, you!" he said, dragging Alexis toward the car. Follett opened the trunk and then Aldric tossed her in. She pleaded for them not to leave her in there, but Aldric cared not and slammed the trunk shut. He and Fahrenheit got into Follett's car at once.

"Where did that Cyber Knight come from?" Aldric asked.

"I don't know," said Fahrenheit. "But it looks like we've underestimated him. I tried reaching Dargon, but I'm getting no answer from him."

"I tasked him in stopping the Cyber Knight!" Aldric growled. "Where is he?"

"Dargon never fails," Fahrenheit answered. "It looks like our new friend was better than he was."

"Then we'll assume the worst has happened," said Aldric. "No matter. If this Cyber Knight thinks he's going to stop me, he's got another thing coming. After what we do to Alexis, the Dalton Family will have no choice but to surrender the crown to me."

It was a long drive back to Aldric's hideout, a makeshift town in the sewers underneath the Aquamarine District. Alexis was thrown into a dark room with a single fluorescent light hanging on the ceiling.

"I bet you thought you were ready to go home," Aldric sneered. "You think these heroes are going to make a difference?"

Alexis looked away to keep herself from looking at his face.

"No. Heroes only win in comic books, Alexis. This is your sad reality. You've got five days left. And as I promised, they will get worse and worse for you. And now with these punks playing hero, I am really pissed off. We're going to make you wish you were never born tonight."

Fahrenheit stood over her and smiled. To Alexis' shock, the girl took her shirt off.

"But first," sneered Aldric. "It's time for your bath."

* * *

**Follett**

* * *

the rain was pouring down even harder now. He looked to the sky. Lightning flashed in the clouds above. "Curse my luck," he grumbled with a mouth full of relish. "It's supposed to rain like this all week. Aafi better get off the rag, cuz I'm getting pissed."

Suddenly two cables slithered from out of nowhere and wrapped around his ankles. He fell forward, dropping his hot dog and then he was pulled all the way up the 50th floor of a tall building. An angry Cyber Dragon roared in his face. He screamed and flailed about like a worm stuck on a hook. He saw the two other Cyber Dragons hissing at him. The cables came from a launcher underneath their chins.

"HELP! HELP! HELP!" he shouted.

"No one's coming for you!" Zane said, appearing out of the rain. "Well, look what we've got here. A corrupted cop. I know just what do do with you."

A glowing, blue energy sword morphed out of his gauntlet. He was going to cut the cables and send Follett plummeting to his doom.

"NO! NO! NO!" pleaded Follett. "Please. Please. I have kids at home! Don't do this to me."

"Start talking!" shouted Zane. "Where are the other trucks going?"

"I don't know!" sobbed Follett. "I don't know I swear! I don't know I swear."

Zane smashed the blade against the cable. It started undoing itself.

"NO!"

"WHERE ARE THE OTHER TRUCKS GOING!?"

"Two of them are going to a warehouse in the Aquamarine District. Another pair is going to drop off the money at a town outside of Faircourt in the morning. The last one is going to Aldentor. That's all I know. I don't know where the Princess is I swear."

"Why soil a distinguished career to join a bunch of lawbreaking punks?" Zane asked.

"I had to join them!" cried Follett. "The police haven't been doing anything. Our people are being killed by those psychopaths and their fascist ideology. They have to be stopped. I had to join the Aeons. I just had to. I was sick and tired of seeing children getting hurt. I was sick and tired of seeing them taken from their parents and sold off like candy to that sick king up north! I had to do something! I didn't want my kids to be next!"

Zane stopped. It was a good thing he had his helmet on. He didn't want Follett to see the disdain on his face.

"You're fighting the wrong people, kid. You can join us. You have to. The Covenant of Yeyu had declared war on Termnnia. Please, think about who you're fighting against."

"I'll stop both the Aeons and the Church. And as for you, you're out of a job."

He cut the cable and it snapped. Follett screamed as he fell all the way down. He noticed he was slowing down. And then he stopped just a few feet from the ground. He looked up and saw one of the Cyber Dragons had caught him with its cable. Just the mere look the creature had told Follett that the Cyber Knight let him off with one final warning.

Cyber Dragon snapped his jaws, cutting the table and dropping Follett hard on his head. He groaned and rolled around on the ground in agony. Colorful lights flashed in his eyes and the world spun. He opened his eyes and saw nothing. Nothing but rain sky. Follett could contain himself no more and started crying,


	8. Megalith Agnus Dei

**Della**

* * *

Della yawned and slowly pushed herself up in her bed. The early light of Helios shone through her window, warming her face. She heard birds chirping softly outside in the gardens outside of the inn. She sniffed the air. It smelled sweet. Celeste was probably making that stack of sweet apple pancakes just as she promised the night before she tucked Della into bed. Della smiled and flipped to her back. She raised her hand to examine the new, iridescent polish on her fingernails. It was a gift from Celeste, who started becoming quite motherly towards her. She presented her with new sleepwear before bed, but it got so stuffy in the night that Della had to take off her pants and sleep in her underwear. It was still pretty hot this morning. Della's body was soaked in perspiration. Her hair was sticky and clung to her face.

Good thing she and Jaden had separate rooms, not that it mattered; for his snoring could be heard through the walls. Celeste, who slept downstairs, would pound the ceiling with a broom sometime in the night, yelling at Jaden to turn over or something. She felt bad that they would soon be leaving her. To be honest, she rather liked staying at the inn in this beautiful countryside. She read in her books that the Faircourt Estates, a separate nation of Eredas, was famous for its rolling mountainsides, vast, green fields, and cool, crisp lakes.

"I could live here forever," Della whispered to herself, resting her arm over her forehead. "It's so peaceful."

BOOM!

"WHAT THE FRACK!" Celeste shouted from the kitchen.

The quiet of the morning was disrupted by a powerful explosion. Della yelped, jumping toward the edge of her bed and fell off, landing on the floor with a loud thud. "Oh, ow!" she whimpered, massing her bottom. She crawled back up in bed and looked out the window. Jaden was outside in the Dueling Fields, shielding himself from the explosion created by the cannon of his opponent's Machine Attacker, who had just obliterated his Elemental HERO Lady HEAT. He supped-up his monster with Machine Conversion Factory, boosting its attack points.

"It won't do you any good!" said Jaden. "GO! Elemental HERO Sunriser!"

The new Elemental HERO warrior Jaden summoned flew out of a fiery orange arcane circle that looked like the sun. He punched the Machine Attacker in the chest, blowing it up along with the rest of the opponent's Life Points.

"Oh, no!" whined the player. "I...I lost."

Celeste came upstairs with Della's breakfast. "Of all the places for them to hold this tournament, it had to be in front of my inn. I'm going to file a complaint if this keeps up. All these explosions are driving away my customers."

Della took the breakfast tray from Celeste and sat up. "Well, if Ser Jaden is as good as he says he is, I'm pretty sure these games will end pretty quickly."

Celeste smiled and brushed some of Della's hair over her hear. "I know, but it will also mean losing you quickly. I've grown rather fond of you, child. It saddens me to see you go. But, if you're ever in town, remember to drop by for a visit."

Della placed her hand over her heart. "I promise, Celeste. I'll never forget you."

On the next round, Jaden was battling an opponent who just summoned a powerful and rare monster known as Thestalos the Mega Monarch. The flaming knight had just slashed Jaden's Elemental HERO Sparkman in half and reducing Jaden to a mere 800 Life Points.

The cocky opponent sneered and ran his thick fingers down his messy red hair. "They don't call me the Dueling Emperor of Faircourt for nothing," the boy boasted. "Don't feel too upset. There was nothing a simpleton like you could have done to defeat me. You should know, that I was one of the Thirteen Duel Kings at my school. And for good reason."

"Who the hell said I wanted a background on ya?" Jaden said rather cross. "Does it look like anyone around here gives a damn about what dorky nickname you got in school? I mean come on, man, that's just so cheese."

"How dare you insult my reputation!" the boy shouted. "Ah, no matter. Your words are just empty. Words of a loser. Hurry and begin your last turn, for I have a tournament to win."

Jaden drew his card. "Don't go celebrating just yet. I use Polymerization. Now, I fuse Elemental HERO Stratos and Elemental HERO Burstinatrix!" Storm clouds swirled over the field. Jaden's overzealous opponent looked up at the sky wondering what in the world Jaden just summoned.

"Swirl up a storm!" said Jaden. "Elemental HERO Great Tornado!"

Jaden proudly introduced one of his finest HEROES. He conjured a nine-foot-tall superhero wearing a green jumpsuit with black markings on the arms and legs and yellow bands on his boots and gloves and various parts of his body. He was shrouded with a black cloak.

**ATK/2800**

The opponent scoffed and flung some hair off his face with his fingers. "Ha. I knew you were only bluffing. So your little green man has the same attack points as my Monarch? Watch. I use the Quick-Play Spell, Rush Recklessly. This card will boost my Mega Monarch's attack by seven-hundred. So much for your turn."

Jaden smiled. "Are you done yapping about how you've got this Duel won? Cuz, I assure ya, that ain't happening. Elemental HERO Great Tornado. Do your stuff. Downburst!"

Great Tornado held his hand to the sky and conjured a gust of powerful wind that flew around Theslatlos.

The boy laughed. "You think a little wind is going to be enough to stop my Mega Monarch? Such a noob. WHAT!?" He was shocked to see that Thestalos's attack points were cut in half.

Jaden burst out laughing. "I told you that you weren't gonna win. When Great Tornado is summoned to the field, he cuts your monster's attack points in half. But I'm not done there, man. Now I use the spell, Miracle Fusion. I combine Elemental HERO Burstinatrix and Necroid Shaman in the Graveyard, banishing them. Now here comes Elemental HERO Escuridao!"

A puddle of black ooze that looked like darkness made into water bubbled in front of Jaden. From it rose a dark HERO with black armor and sharp blades for wings and his claws made for awesome weapons.

**ATK/2500**

Jaden gave the boy a wink. "Sorry to burst your bubble, but overconfidence is your greatest enemy. Now, Escuridao gains one-hundred points for every Elemental HERO in the GY. I'm counting eight, so therefore his attack points become thirty-three-hundred! Sorry pal, but after this, that's game!"

BOOM! BOOM!

"The winner of the tournament!" shouted the herald of the tournament. "JADEN YUKI!"

Della clapped her hands. "Yay, Ser Jaden!" she cheered. She was sitting on a picnic table eating a corn dog as she watched the matches throughout the day. After Jaden got his trophy, the prize money, and the rare prize card, she joined him. "My, my. Ser Jaden you're very good."

Jaden winked. "Not for nothing, even though some of these guys had some sweet moves, they weren't all that tough. Oh, well. A win's a win, right? Now we've got the money we need to..."

"Hold it right there!" shouted Jaden's opponent from before. He had his boys walking with him, hoping that with their presence, he would be a little more persuasive with his proposition for Jaden. He stood up straight and puffed out his chest. "That wasn't fair. I bricked on my first turn. I would have asked for a replay, but I was being a good sport."

Jaden scoffed, rather impatient for that remark. "Do you know how lame it is to hear someone lose and say that your victory means nothing because of a bricked hand? Come on, man, I beat you fair and square. Of course, if you wanna go again, I'll be happy to take you on."

"Oh no," said the opponent. "I'm not Dueling you for those prizes. I'm taking them from you."

Jaden frowned. "I don't appreciate that, man. You need to back off right now. I don't want any trouble. We had a good Duel."

"But I lost," said the opponent. "That was not how it was supposed to be. If you want to live to see tomorrow, I suggest you hand over the prize right now."

Jaden shook his head. "I'm not going to do that. See you later and better luck next year."

The opponent snapped his fingers and then windows of data appeared all around and digital cubes rained down. They formed together to form a monster called Cyberse Whitehat. His buddies cheered and laughed at Jaden, telling him that he was in trouble now.

Della took a step back. "He...he just summoned a monster, Ser Jaden."

Jaden balled his fists. "Yeah...I know. Sorry, Della, but this is going to be bad."

His opponent agreed. "Indeed they are. Hand over the prize money and prize card right now. Oh...and if you don't mind, send your cute lady friend our way, too."

Della gasped and hid behind Jaden as the opponent and his gang hooted at her to come towards them.

Jaden narrowed his eyes. "You scumbags will pay for this. Today, you will face justice. He held out his palm. An arcane circle with a big E on the center appeared over it and started spinning. "Go! Entertainment HERO Pit Boss!"

"Huh?" the brash opponent gasp, watching as Jaden conjured the prize monster he sought after. And he did so with the greatest of ease. The monster he summoned was a suave, cunning-looking card magician in colorful, yet regal, clothes. He held a deck of cards in his hands and did all sorts of magic tricks with it. He made it appear and reappear and shuffled it in an instant loop between his hands. He stopped and then drew three cards. They floated off his fingers and in front of the opponent's face.

Jaden laughed. "He wants you to pick a card."

His opponent had a disgruntled look on his face. Still, he went along with the magician's little game and chose the middle one. "Excellent choice," said Jaden. "Pit boss, do your stuff!"

Pit Boss tipped his hat. The card the opponent chose was Elemental HERO Gaia. "What's this?"

Pit Boss waved his hands in a mystifying manner until a rainbow-colored arcane circle appeared behind him. From the circle, an iron warrior shot out and raised missile launcher. He was a giant! Standing more than twenty feet high. He fired a salvo of black missiles with gold bands on the top. They rained down on Cyberse Whitehat, creating a massive explosion that sent a thick cloud of smoke and debris in the air. The opponent and his friends were tossed away. Poor Della screamed in horror. Jaden rushed towards her and shielded her from the blast. When the dust had cleared, Jaden and Della were gone, fleeing out of the town to take the train to Domino.

Pit Boss took off his hat and bowed before he disappeared.

* * *

**Alexis**

* * *

**Eve of the Fourth Day**

A mansion. It was hard to believe such a thing could be found down here in the underbelly of the world. Despite seeing the limos drive through towns made of trash and all sorts of junk, this place had exquisite architecture. It was well furnished, cleaned, and the whole place smelled of lemon on oak. Alexis looked out the window of her room - or prison cell from her point of view. Behind her on a golden cart was a whole roast of chicken stuffed with bread, corn, and potatoes, surrounded by freshly-cut lettuce and tomatoes. Next to the roast was a tub of mashed potatoes swimming in gravy, and a basket with garlic bread. No. Anything but that. A crust of bread and glass of water is what she would have preferred. All this luxury made her even more fearful.

Zane had just killed King Aldric's best summoner and cost him millions in gold. Why would he be pampering Alexis like this? She sighed and looked at the hundreds of shadows dancing on the walls. The room was dark and lit by hundreds of candles burning on the side tables on either side of her bed, on her dresser drawer, and on iron candelabras.

She looked down at the courtyard, staring at a limestone fountain shooting glowing green water from the mouth of a copper dragon head. Limos, armored SUVs, and customized sports cars slowly drove out of the gate.

There was a knock on her door. Alexis pursed her lips and did not answer. Not that the person knocking cared. They let themselves in any way. From the smell of peach, Alexis knew that it was Fahrenheit. Alexis turned to look at the girl. Fahrenheit whistled at the plunging neckline of Alexis's dress and her hair curled up with swirled bangs dangling on either side of her face.

"Don't you clean up nice," Fahrenheit said, cocking her hip and placing a hand on it. "Ooo, if King Aldric didn't need you so bad."

"Don't say anything else," Alexis commanded.

Fahrenheit bowed. "As you command, Princess. Just so you know, you're needed downstairs at once." She tossed Alexis a gold and white deck case.

Alexis caught it with ease and gasped. "My cards!"

"I kept them safe for you," said Fahrenheit. "And for good reason. It's been a while since Aldric has seen any Duel action lately and with us being on the fourth day, your time with us is almost over. He never saw a Princess play her hand in Duel Monsters before, and he'd like to see that tonight. Come on. Our guests want to see you Duel."

Alexis followed her out of the mansion to the gardens in the backyard lit with glowing flowers and willow trees with neon blue vines. Alexis saw Aldric's guests sitting around small, round, dinner tables draped in white cloth with a candle glowing in the center of each table. The guests were well-dressed and wore masquerade masks as they sipped on champagne and ate steak, despite the horribly polluted underground air. Alexis looked up and noticed that the mansion was safely concealed underneath a fresh-air dome. That explained why the plants here could grow and the air smelled sweet, unlike outside which stank of fast food and trash.

"Hold on," said Fahrenheit. "You're going to need this." She picked up a mask from a table beside the path to the gardens. It was blue and gold and decorated with peacock feathers. Then, unexpectedly, she kissed Alexis.

Alexis wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "Kiss me again and I'll have you executed."

That just made Fahrenheit far more playful. For her, it seemed rather cute to see Alexis act like she still had power. She smacked Alexis hard on the butt and ordered her to walk. "Woo!" she hooted. "Look at dat ass!"

Alexis ignored her and hiked down a brick path surrounded by glowing trees and flowers that seemed to ring like magical bells. It was as though she were walking through a dream. It looked so magical. Then, she walked through a flowery curtain and that dream turned into a walk to hell.

Aldric stood up from his table in all his glory and tapped his steak knife on the back of his goblet. "All hail the Princess!" he declared.

The guest clapped for Alexis as she made her way to her side of the arena. The hemline of her dress was so high it made her uncomfortable. All eyes were staring at her legs and the generous view her neckline offered. She heard chuckles of lust all around her and the sound of tongues sliding across lips ending with wet smacks. Her opponent walked out from behind a curtain of flowers. She wore the same dress as Alexis, save hers was jet black. The girl had a white and gold masquerade mask and a rose tucked in her hair. Her wine-colored hair flowed down to her back and was speckled with white flowers.

Aldric tapped his goblet again. "Please welcome, Flower."

The guests clapped.

"Begin!" Aldric declared. He flipped a coin. He caught it and smacked it on the back of his hand. "Heads, Alexis. Tails, Flower." He lifted his palm off the back of his hand to see the result of the coin toss. "Tails."

The guests clapped.

"Good luck," said Flower. She activated a glowing Duel Disk with mosaic patterns and green trim. "I summon Lonefire Blossom. I use its effect to trade it in for Predeplant Ophrys Scorpio. I use my Ophrys Scorpio's effect to summon Darlingtonnia Cobra. Cobra's effect activates, letting me add a card to my hand. Now, I offer them both to Link Summon Aromaseraphy Jasmine. From my hand, I activate Brilliant Fusion to create Gem-Knight Seraphnite."

The guests oohed and aahed at the sight of the monstrous holograms being summoned from the machines the girls wore on their wrists.

"Seraphnite's effect activates," Flower continued. "From my hand, I summon Lonefire Blossom and use its effect to summon Mardoll, Generaid of Light in Defense Mode."

"Ah," the crowd went when Flower summoned a beautiful sage with brilliant white and gold robes, colored wine-red on the inside. She had blue butterfly wings, flowing blonde hair, and a headdress of colorful flowers.

Flower continued activating effects, sending monsters away from her hand to increase her Life Points. She was desperate to win this Duel, Alexis could see that. She had a feeling this was going to be more than just some exhibition match. Finally, she special summoned a few monsters with interesting combos and used them to Synchro Summon Aromaseraphy Sweet Majoram, another beautiful monster. With that, Flower ended her turn.

The guest clapped.

Alexis drew. "My turn!" she declared. She started her turn, making use of the effects of her new Impcantation monsters to add cards regarding Rituals. She saw the look on King Aldric's face. He was excited to see if Alexis was going to use her Cyber Angel cards. She was, and she intended to use them well with a set of monsters she added to her deck. Her turn lasted a while, making use of spells that added cards to her hand. Finally, she summoned her first monster. Cyber Angel Izana, a gorgeous four-armed warrior who stood strong with 2500 ATK.

But she wasn't done there. More Impcantations appeared and she used them. "I summon Megalith Ophiel!" Alexis summoned a heavenly statue of white limestone and gold. It was of an angel. She hovered on a platform of chrome and light-blue light.

"Interesting," said Aldric.

The Impcantations came back allowing Alexis to add another Ritual card to her hand. This time, it was a statue of black stone festooned with gold. Megalith Hagith. Alexis decided to boost the power of her Megalith monsters with a field-spell Megalith Portal. With it in play, her Megalith monsters would have to be attacked twice before they got destroyed. Hagith was then offered to summon Megalith Och, who was a statue of a white angel and a black demon, both of whom were children. Alexis used her Portal field to return Hagith to her hand, then offered Ophiel to summon him.

Flower's turn, not that there was much that she could do. The Megalith Monsters lacked in offense, but they more than made up for it in defense. Plus, there was the matter of Cyber Angel Izan, serving as Alexis's offense. Damn. It was the perfect combo. The Megalith monsters were Alexis's aegis and her Cyber Angels the Sword. Flower knew was in trouble. The Megalith monsters needed to be attacked twice in order to be destroyed thanks to the Portal field.

Alexis always started her turns stronger and stronger. She summoned an even more durable Megalith monster, Aratron who took the form of a multi-headed dragon of brownish-black stone with glowing orange patterns. With a DEF of 3000, there was no getting around him.

Finally, Alexis summoned her ultimate Angel, Cyber Angel Vrash with an ATK of 3000.

"WAIT!" cried Flower. "Please, don't do it!"

Alexis attacked and finished her off. Had she but known the consequences, she would have ceased her attack and searched for another alternative. Once Flower's Life Points hit 0, Aldric stood up and tapped his steak knife on the back of his goblet. He declared Alexis the winner, then snapped his fingers. Two men came from behind the curtain Flower walked from. They took her away, most likely to be locked in the dungeon.

"STOP!" Alexis shouted. Fahrenheit came from behind and held her back. "You can't do this! You can't do this!"

Fahrenheit leaned close to her ear and whispered. "You shut up or you'll get the same. We girls aren't viewed very nicely down here. Play your cards right and we'll get our revenge."

"Huh?"

"King Aldric's fall is coming. Be a little more patient. Your friends are close, I can feel it," Fahrenheit whispered again. "They're going to work double-time to find you, and you're about to find out why."

Aldric tapped his goblet again. "Ladies and gentle. I have some great news. My sources claim that the Kingdom of Lorin is mounting pressure on King Eldon."

Booo! shouted the guests, obviously not fans of the current King.

"Yes. And it has been discovered that the Council of XXII has put the terms of surrendering of the crown to me on the table."

The guests clapped and cheered, whistling for Aldric's success. A man walked to him and told him, even more, pressing news. Aldric ordered television screens to be wheeled in at once. Moments later, they were brought in and turned to the right channel.

There was a video with the words **BREAKING NEWS** written in white letters on a red ribbon. Ar first there was nothing but an empty podium and the concerned voices of the news anchors, telling the viewers that Her Majesty, The Queen of Lorin would be arriving soon. Two long minutes later, she came. She stood in front of the podium. The flags of her kingdom and her country stood behind her. She was clad in a snowy white blazer and skirt. Her beautiful hazel eyes flashed behind her gold glasses.

"People of Lorin. It has been more than four days since my daughter, Alexis, Crown Princess of Lorin and heir to the Sapphire Throne was kidnapped by a ruthless gang known as the Aeons," the stern blonde queen said furiously at the camera. She tried to remain calm, but her cheeks turning pink showed signs that she was having difficulty with that.

She continued. "For many years, this order of bloodthirsty, degenerates have terrorized the streets of Domino City and beyond. They, along with the radical Church of Yeyu have caused nothing but destruction. Both the Aeons and the Church kill, destroy, and even sell other people on the Shadowmarket like cattle. For many years, the people of Eredas have begged King Eldon to take action against these violent factions and organizations. Even Kings and Queens of other nations have genreously come to his aid in dealing with this problem. But the enemy comes back like the roaches that they are. King Eldon. We elected you to be King to bring prosperity to your kingdom. Yet all you do is Duel, drink, and fritter away precious time of office in parties and tournaments. If you are too incompetent to deal with a small gang of thugs...why do we need you?"

The guests laughed at her question and clinked their glasses together.

"The only one who has listened to the pleas of his people was his son, Prince Michael, who in my eyes will be a fine ruler one day. But it is not this day. Four days that King Eldon has done nothing. For days I have had to watch as a gang of murderous thugs defile, torture, and break my daughter."

Her lips trembled and Alexis could see the tears welling up in her mother's eyes, causing her to sob.

"The sounds of her screaming for help. Screaming for the comfort of her mother, have haunted me. I have not slept. I have not eaten. I have done nothing but weep and listen to my supposed ally tell me time and time again that they were 'working on the situation'."

* * *

**Zane**

* * *

"Zane, check this out!" Kara shouted from her room.

Zane came running into her lab and froze when he saw Alexis's mother on the screen making her speech.

"As of right now, I am deploying five-hundred thousand troops to march into Domino. Should my daughter die at the hands of these murderers, I and other kings of the New Alliance will deem you unfit to rule. If you do not stand down and surrender your crown, I will have no choice but to declare war on Eredas."

"What?!"

"I say again. If my daughter dies under your watch, Eldon of House Dalton, you will be held responsible. And you will be seen as worthless and undeserving of that crown. The Kingdoms of Emboldor, Katina, and Thara have unanimously agreed with this notion. They too send troops to come to aid in dealing with this matter. Eldon. We will purge the city of Domino from the Aeons. The radical Church of Yeyu. And you. We give you one last warning. Find my daughter or surrender your crown."

"This is not good," said Zane.

"Do you think he'll do it?" Kara asked, closing her laptop. She looked over her shoulder at Zane. "Will Eldon surrender the crown?"

"it doesn't matter," said Zane. "Eldon's going to look like a fool either way. If he surrenders the crown to Aldric, he'll go down in history as an idiot. A King surrendering to a gangster. If she dies and the Queen declares war it will be the same. Even if he does surrender to Aldric, there's no escaping the war on our doorstep. Queen Daria will not leave with a thug wearing the crown. She'll go to war with him, too."

"Do you think Aldric will go that far?"

"He's not going to surrender the crown after getting it," said Zane. "I know what he's capable of. Kara. He's going to fight to defend it. It's a lose-lose for Eredas."

"Unless Alexis is found," Kara added. "We need to hurry, it's been four days. Have we got any leads?"

Nel-E answered that. "I have actually. While you two were working on upgrades for the Cyber Dragon, I was able to find ourselves a few interesting leads thanks to the men Zane interrogated the night before. However, these individuals are very influential figures in the underworld of Domino. One of them has mercenaries from Watch Tower Security and Logistics acting as his own personal bodyguards. They are well-armed and quick on the trigger, unlike the common Aeon thugs you've been up against. Watch Tower is notorious for making deals with the other dimension's black market, buying military-grade weapons and technology. I suggest equipping the Cyber Dragon with its new armor plating, Zane."

Kara sighed. "Looks like I've got some work to do tonight. If you don't mind, Zane, I'm gonna make a call to Lady Summer's Pizza and order myself a few pies."

"I've already ordered you the usual, Ms. Kestrel," said Nel-E. "And a diet cola. All at Zane's expense."

Kara giggled. "Aww, how sweet."

"Zane, we're going to need some help in dealing with our foes. Jaden Yuki is still a ways from Domino but the mission must proceed as soon as possible. Shall I contact your other companion from school?"

"No!" Zane yelled at once. "Anyone but him."

"Need I remind you that Prince Michael is still tending to Miss Crow. He will be of no help tonight."

Zane rubbed his shoulder and looked out the window at the city. "That kid always rubbed me the wrong way."

"Zane. Put your pride aside. So he defeated you in a Duel once. How do you humans put it? Cry me an ocean?"

"Cry me a river, dear," Kara corrected her as she typed a requisitions order for materials to build another Cyber Dragon design."

"Thank you, Ms. Kestrel," said Nel-E. "Zane. If there's a lot more a stake now than Alexis's life. The fate of this entire country now rests on the shoulders of you kids."

Zane sighed. "Fine. Get him."

* * *

A homeless man wrapped in a tattered cloak shivered in the rain, pouring down on him relentlessly from the unforgiving autumn clouds. He wrapped the cloak around himself and tucked his beard into his shirt. Suddenly, a black hotrod with flame decals raced down the street and stopped in front of the curb. The old man whimpered in fright as men wearing Elemental HERO masks stormed out of the car with weapons and burlap sacks. The gang cheered and hooted as bank robbing was a thrill for them. The homeless old man watched as they walked up the tall, limestone steps of the bank. He heard gunfire, explosions, screaming and yelling. The alarm bell rang, signaling that the robbers had little time before the authorities arrived. It sickened the man to the core. Too long had he seen things like this happen. Despite humankind building towers that reached the sky and having the ability to cast magic to heal the sick, people resorted to behaving like hooligans.

It didn't take long for the bank robbers to come down the steps of the bank with sacks fully loaded with gold coins and Gold Ereadian Notes. A robber in a Sparkman mask opened the trunk and they dumped their loot inside.

"It would be wise of you to return that before things turn ugly," said the old man.

A thug wearing a Avion mask laughed and shouldered his shotgun. "For you, old man, it's way too late for that."

The old man was unmoved by his words. "If you wish to see tomorrow, I suggest you surrender now."

"Or what?" mocked a robber with a Bubbleman mask.

"Do not test me, fool."

The tattered cloak of the old man slowly peeled back and flashed a platinum medallion emblazoned with a letter D on the center.

Thump!

A giant, muscled, hulk of a monster landed behind the old man. It wore tattered purple shorts and bore an iron mask with long, wild, black hair protruding from underneath it.

"Dreadmaster. Let these sinners taste justice."


	9. The Heart of Helios

**Alexis**

* * *

"Your Megalith cards are impressive," Fahrenheit said, scrolling through Alexis's deck. "They compliment your Cyber Angels beautifully. A perfect marriage of defense and offense."

Alexis sipped her tea, still shaken by the brash ultimatum set up by her mother. "In some cases, the Megalith monsters are the offense. So all that stuff you did back there. All that flirting. Was it just you acting the part?"

Fahrenheit laughed and dropped on the moth-eaten lounge chair by the waterfall in the sitting room. She put her feet up on the glass table. "Nope. I really do like you. But you're a princess and out of my league, so I can only play around with you until it's time to kill you."

Alexis rolled her eyes.

"Your mom would have my head if there was ever a thing between me and you. She's a traditionalist, right?"

"You have no idea," Alexis replied. "She never liked me coming to Domino because she absolutely hates technology. However, I'm her best negotiator when it comes to trade and other matters of the kingdom. But, even a stern mind can change. All people do. She was coming to like the city and the Daltons. But now... I can't...I can't believe she'd do this."

Fahrenheit set Alexis's cards down on the table. "Well, you'd be surprised what a mother is willing to do when her child is taken from her. You ever heard of the tale of Arasik and the Doomkaiser Dragon?"

"I do," Alexis said with a smile. "It was my mother's favorite story."

Fahrenheit crossed her legs and sat back. "Tell me the story. It's been so long since I heard it. And I suppose that the story told by a hot princess like you will make it even more endearing."

Alexis shook her head and paused to gather her thoughts. "Well, you know the basics of the tale. It all starts with Arasik, Goddess of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Needless to say that each one of her children is a treasure to her. Tathelrion, Verronex, and Tolthion the Sapphires of the Northern Star are said to be used by Seto Kaiba. Did you know this?"

"No," Fahrenheit said with a shake of her head. "What role do they play in this?"

Alexis laughed. "Nothing. Just a little _did-ya-know_ if you catch my meaning. But I digress. There was one Blue-Eyes who was very special to her. Lassina the White. When she transformed into a human, she turned into a maiden so great in beauty, that flowers bloomed wherever she walked. Lassina was Arasik's greatest prize. But she also gained the attention of an undead dragon. The Doomkaiser Dragon. While she was picking flowers, Doomkaiser Dragon swooped her up and took her to his domain in the Shadow Realm. Arasik mourned for her daughter. She turned the cosmos inside out and almost destroyed the entire world looking for her. My mother might do the same."

"She certainly has the power to do so, Alexis. She could burn this whole city to the ground looking for you."

"I hope it doesn't come to that. Why are you here, Fahrenheit? You hate what he does. You hate how he treats you. How he treats us. You saw what he did to Flower. He auctioned her off like she was some cheap antique!"

Fahrenheit bobbed her hand up and down, telling Alexis to lower her voice. "There's not much we can do for Flower or the other girls. As for why I'm here, you can thank the Covenant of Yeyu for that. Just like everyone else who joined." She reared her head back and looked at the Lightsworn fresco on the ceiling. "I wasn't always like this. I used to own my own business in the Dragon Gardens District. A flower shop and a cupcake cafe melded into one."

Alexis snickered.

"Did I say something funny?"

"No. I mean, no disrespect. It's just...A tough-looking street punk like you? Growing flowers and making cupcakes? Sorry, I just don't see it."

Fahrenheit shrugged. "It's true. I grew the flowers in the park. _She_ made the cupcakes."

"She?"

Fahrenheit sighed. "An Elf girl by the name of Idrialla. Poor thing. I found her cowering under a tree. She was a runaway slave from Naralia. I took her in and I grew to love her. You shoulda seen her, Alexis. Rosy cheeks, emerald green-eyes, hair like sunlight made into silk." She chuckled. "And those cute pointy ears. But it was her hair that I was obsessed with. I loved running my fingers through her hair when we cuddled; when we cooked; when we took our walks in the park. Not long after she settled in with me, I discovered she was a really great baker. I suppose it was her craft when she was a slave in Naralia. She made cupcakes for me during a bake sale to help fund my garden."

"Fund your garden?"

Fahrenheit laughed and nodded. "Duh. It's on city property. I had to pay an extra tax to the king. You think it was easy keeping that thing up?"

"And Idrialla's cupcakes really helped you out, huh?"

"That's an understatement. There were people lining an entire city block just to wait for her cupcakes. When there were no more ingredients, they literally paid her to buy them. And a little extra to reserve a few."

Alexis set down her teacup. "She sounds like a sweet girl. Tell me, Fahrenheit. Do you really think Idrialla would approve of your joining the gang?"

"Idrialla's dead!" Fahrenheit said at once.

Alexis blinked rapidly. "I...I'm sorry. What killed her?"

"Tolerance," Fahrenheit answered coldly. "The Covenant of Yeyu descended from Baldorum, came to our lands and destroyed everything we held dear to our hearts. By the time Idrialla and I wanted to marry, the Temple of Ana was torn down in place for a monument to Yeyu. That temple has been in our city since the foundation of the world, and the people who swear to protect us let them tear it down and form it into a place of worship for their looney cult. In order for me and Idrialla to marry, we needed a certificate and blessing from the temple. But there wasn't any for miles. We didn't have the money to travel far for just a blessing so we made a gamble. Idrialla and I had no choice but to ask the Covenant to bless us and legalize our engagement."

She shook her head.

"I have never seen a man so angry before, Alexis. He yelled at us. He called us names. He said we were an abomination in this world. They decreed that we are not allowed to love the way we do, even if our Goddesses say we are allowed to love who we want. And even if I had a pair of balls between my legs, they still wouldn't marry us. Idrialla was an Elf. To the Covenant, her kind is seen as parasites. Something to be squashed. In fact, the priest ordered soldiers from the Covenant Militant to detain us. Luckily, I know a little magic."

Fahrenheit snapped her fingers and created a green fireball. "I fought our way out. But not before I burned that hateful priest into ashes. It would not end for us there. I came home one day and found our bakery on fire. Idrialla was hanging naked from a tree. Her beautiful ears."

A tear rolled down her cheek.

"They were cut off, most likely sold to a Witch Hunter for a sack of gold. I was depressed. I was alone. Until he found me. Aldric. He promised me that if I joined him I would get my revenge against the Covenant. And revenge was sweet. He boosted my powers with this killer elixer his alchemists brewed up. My flames became more potent, and I gotta say, I love the pink and green color it gave my flames. I burned down their schools. I incinerated their monuments. I roasted their followers. They started to fear us."

"That's not the way!" Alexis shouted. "Killing indiscriminately as they do doesn't make you any better than them!"

"And talking to them won't make them stop! Tolerating them won't end the violence and the purging that they feel obligated to spread across our lands. Tolerance...is for the weak!"

"So is murder," said Alexis.

"We have to do something, Alexis." Fahrenheit examined her hands. "What if more people get hurt? People like me? I don't care what you think of me. I'm doing the world of favor getting rid of them. Seeing them melt like candle wax is the medicine that cures me of the pain of losing Idrialla."

Alexis looked away. "So if being by his side gives you such a high, why did you whisper revenge in my ear? Why do you want to get back at Aldric?"

"Because he's changed. He needs to be stopped, Alexis. It was one thing having him be King of Eredas to root out and purge the city from the Covenant. But now his mind has been poisoned by a fell power. I'm scared, Alexis. He aims for something much bigger. Aldric got his hands on a weapon that could not only make him king but High King of Termnnia as well. He could take down Prince Yuri."

Alexis smirked. "He believes that huh? Prince Yuri will never be ousted from the Diamond Throne. The God Cards chose him. They will never turn their back on him."

They heard cheering outside.

Fahrenheit gulped. "If that's what I think it is, they will now."

The both of them walked outside to join the throng of Aeons surrounding a truck that honked merrily as it drove into the courtyard. King Aldric pushed his way through his followers to get to the truck. The back door slid open and two Aeons carried a metal trunk towards the ramp, which lowered. Aldric rubbed his hands in great anticipation to see the content of the trunk.

The trunk let out steam and whirred as various machinations clicked and spun to unlock it. The lid opened, folding itself up as a sleek, black, pedestal raised from the bottom of the trunk. The pedestal held a black egg decorated with scrollwork. It opened. An orange gem was glistening inside, glowing with the light of the sun.

"At last," Aldric said, picking up the gem. He held it up for all to see. The Aeons cheered. A tall one in black armor walked towards him carrying a crown. Aldric bowed his head as the black-armored Aeon put the crown on his brow. It was a perfect fit. Sunflares seemed to burst from the crown. Aldric's eyes were glowing bright and his body was covered with orange runes.

"What is that?" Alexis asked in horror.

"We are in trouble," said Fahrenheit.

* * *

**Meanwhile...**

* * *

"It would be wise of you to return that before things turn ugly," said the old man.

A thug wearing an Avion mask laughed and shouldered his shotgun. "For you, old man, it's way too late for that."

The old man was unmoved by his words. "If you wish to see tomorrow, I suggest you surrender now."

"Or what?" mocked a robber with a Bubbleman mask.

"Do not test me, fool."

The tattered cloak of the old man slowly peeled back and flashed a platinum medallion emblazoned with a letter D on the center.

Thump!

A giant, muscled, hulk of a monster landed behind the old man. It wore tattered purple shorts and bore an iron mask with long, wild, black hair protruding from underneath it. Lightning flashed, revealing the creature for a brief moment, filling the bank robbers with fear.

"What the hell is that man?" shouted the driver, who was sporting a Necroid Shaman mask. "We need to get out of..."

CRASH!

Something landed on the car, smashing it flat as a pancake. The bank robbers lunged forward in fear, yelling and screaming as they landed with a splash on the sidewalk. The robber with the Avion mask stuttered and pointed at a shadowy figure looming over them. A purple-red cape fluttered in the stormy breeze. Burning, red eyes pierced the darkness and drilled a hole into the souls of the bank robbers.

"Dangerous," said the old man, rising up from the ground. "So good of you to join us." The man removed his tattered cloak and revealed himself to actually be a young boy with piercing blue-eyes and silver hair, tucked under a black skullcap beanie with the same D on his medallion emblazoned on the front. He sported an expensive black, leather jacket with a hood trimmed in white fur. His jeans were torn and bloused into black boots. A platinum chain dangled from his hip, jangling, and jingling as he slowly stepped towards the robbers. Underneath his jacket was a layered cuirass made of orichalcum with red neon lights for the sake of display.

One of the robbers fired a gun at the boy's chest. The bullet deflected off the plate. When he aimed for the boy's head the hulking monster grabbed the man by the arm, lifted him up and then closed his fist, crushing him like a bug. The other robbers cried out in horror, hearing the sickening sound of bones being ground to dust and the ill-sounding symphony of flesh squishing wetly in the behemoth's grip.

"It's him, dude!" sobbed one of the robbers. "It's the kid the boss warned us about."

"Aster Phoenix," said the robber in the Sparkman mask. "Oh, we're screwed, man. Look, kid. Come on. We'll share some of the loot with ya."

Aster continued to walk towards them. The hulking monster flung the glob of flesh from his palm and wiped the filth on his purple shorts. Meanwhile, Dangerous was watching the men, snarling like a demon, ready to strike if any of them made an attempt to run.

Aster scoffed. "Destiny HERO Dreadmaster. Let these sinners taste justice."

Dreadmaster raised his fist. The robbers screamed one final time before it came down and crushed them. Cars bumped from the impact, their alarms started wailing. The street lamps flickered.

Aster suddenly heard a slow clap. Someone walked out of the shadows of an alleyway across the street. He realized there were four of them, three boys and a girl with long, red hair, shaved on the side.

"Finally. We were getting bored waiting for you," said a boy, sporting a sleeveless coat colored white with white trim. He sported a beanie over his bright blue hair.

"The hell do you want?" Aster asked.

Dangerous turned around to face the group. Dreadmaster cracked his neck.

"You're Aster Phoenix," said a very young boy who looked no more than ten. He was bald and wore a green hoodie and khaki cargo pants. Upon seeing Aster, he flipped his green baseball cap backward. "We've been looking for you."

"No, shit," said Aster.

The bruiser of the group, a mastodon of a young man, smashed his fist against his palm. "So you're the Knight of Domino City, huh? HA! You don't look so tough."

Aster rolled his eyes. Like he never heard that one before. "I suppose these bank robbers work for you?"

"Used to," said the boy in the trench coat. "They were our meal ticket to getting to you. Our client, King Aldric, is paying quite a lot of money to anyone who takes you and this so-called Cyber Knight out of his city."

"You're looking for him, too?" Aster wondered. "I was kind of hoping he'd show up to stop these bozos, but I think he has other matters to attend to. Pfft. Some hero."

The little boy chortled obnoxiously. "Don't you know anything, Phoenix? War is on our doorstep. King Aldric is going to stop it and show what a true leader he really is."

Aster pointed at him. "Shut up! How does siding with criminal thugs and kidnapping the princess prove he's any fit to be a king?"

The little boy's sneer faded. "Uh...I'm not sure."

The leader in the white coat ruffled the kid's head. "Tomba, shut it, bro. It's politics. Way too complicated for someone your age."

"But he makes a good point, Luros," Tomba said, smacking his hand away and fixing his cap. "How is that going to prove him a good king?"

"Taking Alexis isn't about making him king," said Luros. "She's nothing but a bargaining chip in Aldric's game. The fact that the Queen of Lorin has sided with other kingdoms to march down here proves the whole world is playing right at his hand."

Aster couldn't believe how oblivious these youngsters were. "Armies from the most powerful kingdoms in Termnnia are coming here. Even if by some miracle Aldric claims the crown and has thousands of knights stupid enough to follow him, it's a losing situation for him. Are you people truly this stupid?"

The girl with the flaming red hair stepped forward. "You don't know Aldric like we do, kid. He has his hands on something that could change the whole tide of this war. The Heart of Helios."

Aster's eyes widened. "You can't be serious? King Aldric has a Gem of Horakhty?"

"You know your stuff," said the girl. "I don't know how he got it, but he did. And now everyone on the streets is joining him. Which leads us to you. He knows talent when he sees it and wants you to join the Aeons."

"I work alone."

The girl sneered. "He figured you'd say something like that. Boys, let's show Aster his choices." She held out her palm. A red arcane circle formed over it and was then emblazoned by flaming designs. "Salamangreat Heartleo!" she shouted, summoning her monster.

"This is gonna be fun!" Tomba said. He too conjured a monster. "Pyrocesslayer Magma!" he shouted.

The biggest member thumped his fists on his chest. "Dinowrestler Chimera T Wrexle! Kick some ass!"

Finally, Luros went up. "Come on out, Kaiser Vorse Raider!"

Tomba laughed, seeing all their monsters outnumber Aster and his two Destiny HEROES. "Now you've got no choice but to come along with us! Either way, it doesn't matter. King Aldric is gonna pay us for bringing him both your support or your head."

"Were it so easy," said Aster. "I'm impressed you idiots have the power to Summon eidolons into this world. That takes a lot of discipline and hard work. But you decide to waste your talents with criminal thugs and wannabe kings. You think you have me cornered because I only have two monsters out? Ha! I don't need two monsters. Dreadmaster is all I need to take you guys down."

The clocktower over the bank started ringing midnight. Dreadmaster flexed his muscles and let out a loud howl.

The group ordered their monsters to attack. Dinowrestler Chimera T Wrexle locked hands with Dreadmaster. The two of them tried shoving each other in a show of strength, but the group did not abide by any morals whatsoever. From behind, Pyrocesslayer Magma attacked, slashing Dreadmaster in the back. Dreadmaster roared in agony, then Dinowrestler started jabbing Dreadmaster in the kidneys and ribs. Kaiser Vorse Raider jumped out of nowhere and smashed his halberd against the side of Dreadmaster's helmet. The helmet vibrated horrible, disorienting Dreadmaster. Dangerous could watch no more and flew into battle, tackling Kaiser Vorse Raider to the ground, his cape flapping wildly behind him.

"Get 'im! Come on!" cheered Tomba.

Aster backed away then rolled to the left to avoid being smashed by Dreadmaster who was knocked backward by Salamangreat Heartleo. Dreadmaster landed on the stairs, crushing them instantly.

Aster looked at the carnage behind him, failing to notice Luros and his big friend running towards him with swords. Aster held out his palm and summoned four red blades to block their charge. It worked, the two boys stopped in their tracks. Aster picked up two of the long blades and taunted his two foes to come get him. They took the bait and stormed towards him. Aster blocked each attack flawlessly. Each time their weapons struck his blades, it created sparks. Aster moved like the wind, disorienting his two opponents who started to feel like they were out of their league.

Tomba hurried to a nearby trash can to pick up the custom baseball bat he had hidden there, but the girl with red hair told him no. He looked up at her and whined. "Aww, come on Roja. I wanna fight!"

"No. Let Luros and Longlast deal with him. They know what they're doing. You power up your Pyrocesslayer."

Tombo looked at his monster who had his attacks blocked by Dreadmaster, using his massive iron shackles as a shield to repel the attacks. Salamangreat Heartleo clawed him from behind. Meanwhile, Dangerous and Kaiser Vorse Raider were having a violent brawl down the street. Kaiser Vorse Raider swung his halberd around, trying to overpower Dangerous with his strength. But Dangerous moved like a shadow, popping out of every dark corner to strike the improved beast-warrior. Kaiser Vorse Raider then waited for him to make the same move. Dangerous appeared out of the dark, but Kaiser Vorse Raider was too quick for him. He swung his halberd to the right and smashed Dangerous in the chest.

Dangerous flew backward and landed on the sidewalk, smashing into a street lamp and knocking it down. He moved his head from side to side, grunting softly from the pain, and blacked out.

Dinowrestler Chimera T Wrexle then appeared behind Dreadmaster and held his arms up. Salamgreat Hearleo started punching him in the stomach. Tomba cheered, mocking punches in the air, pretending he was Heartleo. Then, Pyrocesslayer readied for the final blow.

"We're winning!" cheered Tomba.

"STRIDENT BLAST!"

Yellow lasers rained down on Pyrocesslayer and T Wrexle. They both crashed to the ground. Luros and Longlast cowered in fear and ran away.

Aster looked up. "Huh?"

The Cyber Knight had arrived. All three of his Cyber Dragons flying behind him at great speed. One of them smashed into Kaiser Vorse Raider and wrapped its coils around him. It squeezed him with all its might until he let out a loud screech and shattered like glass. Luros's body was overcome with great pain and he fell on the ground limply.

"Luros!" Roja shouted in terror. She ran towards him and carried him back to their alley.

Longlast grunted like an angry rhino and charged at Zane. Zane held up his palm and fired a pulse blast that knocked him back into a tree, smashing it. Zane used the pulse cannons on his palms to get Pyrocesslayer to back away. The second Cyber Dragon flew down and shot an upgraded Strident Blast at him, blowing his head off.

"NO!" cried Tomba. He fainted from the pain.

"We need to get out of here!" shouted Longlast, limping towards his friends. "T Wrexle can handle those overgrown metal salamanders!"

So he thought. Like two jets, a couple of HEROES flew down the street and smashed the Dinowrestler in the face. One was a warrior of gold with a red cape. The other was a heavily muscular warrior in neon yellow spandex.

"Captain Gold?" said Aster. "And Electrum?" He saw Jaden and Della running towards them.

Longlast saw them, too, and started to back away. "Oh...shit!" he said. "It's Jaden Yuki! The Hero of Red River!"

Roja saw the monsters he summoned, beating T Wrexle down. "His Elemental HEROES! They're amazing."

Luros was recovering from his agony. "We can't face them like this. Not with the Cyber Knight and Jaden here at the same time. We'll get them another day!"

Roja summoned back Heartleo. "You haven't heard the last of us, heroes!"

"Damn right!" Longlast said, putting Tomba over his shoulder. "We're gonna mess you all up bad next time!" He ran into the alley, disappearing with massive steps. His friends followed.

"Let them go!" Cyber Knight said to Electrum and Captain Gold.

Jaden finally caught up to them. "Woah! Zane? Is that you? What's with the sweet getup?" He looked up at the Cyber Dragons, flying above him, scanning the streets for more enemies. "Are those..."

"Yeah," Zane answered.

"Are they..."

"Yes."

"Sweet." He looked down at Aster, who was sitting on the sidewalk trying to catch his breath.

"Hey, Aster. Haven't seen you since the academy. What's up?"

Aster scoffed. "I had it taken care of. I didn't need your help."

Zane's helmet dematerialized to reveal his face. "Glad to see he hasn't changed."

Aster looked up at Zane and examined his cybernetic armor. "What the hell have you been doing since school ended, Zane. Late-night vigilante work?"

"I couldn't let you have all the fun."

"I'll bet. I take it you're finally in the game with Alexis's kidnapping, huh?"

"So it's true?" said Jaden. "Alexis. She's really been taken by the Aeons?"

Zane nodded. "And we've only got a few days left before they kill her. If her blood is spilled, the Queen-Mother and her allies are going to unleash their armies upon Eredas."

"I heard about that," said Aster, standing up and accepting a bottle of water from Zane. He looked at Della. "Who is this?"

Jaden backed up to let the girl walk forward. "Oh, guys, this is Della. She's a Priestess from the Temple of Ana. We're here to find some sacred stone she lost or something."

"What stone?" Zane asked.

"I was tasked with delivering this stone to Emboldor for the coming of Prince Yuri next summer. This stone is a rare and powerful artifact known as the Heart of Helios."

"Oh no..." groaned Aster.

"The Heart of Helios?" said Zane. "I thought it was a myth. Michael was right."

"It's real alright," said Aster. "And King Aldric has it."

"Oh dear!" cried Della.

Jaden put his hands on his hips. "No way. You're telling me the leader of the Aeons has it? What can it do?"

Aster scoffed. "The question is what CAN'T it do? The stone was so powerful it almost killed the God Cards in the War of the Giants. That thing will give you super speed, super strength. If you had a hold on it, Jaden, you'd be an Elemental HERO yourself."

Zane kicked a trash can so hard it flew down the street. "Great! This just complicates things."

Aster shook his head. "It doesn't make any sense. If he has this all-powerful stone, why would he go through the trouble to kidnap Alexis and force her mother to declare open war on us? Can't he just use the power of the stone to overthrow King Eldon?"

"He can't because the stone is not complete," said Della. She reached into her shirt and took out a silver case shaped like a heart. She opened it and revealed a glowing orange gem. Or a part of it.

"What the hell?" shouted Jaden. "You had that on you this whole time?"

Aster walked closer to examine the shard. "How did this happen?" he asked. "How were you able to cut the stone in half?"

"I was not the cause of its breaking," Della answered. She closed the case and tucked it back in her shirt. "The stone was broken in half long ago by one of the Seven Golden Aegis Kings. He smashed it under his boot, breaking it into two equal pieces to keep it from destroying his friends. Slifer, Obelisk, and Ra. The Temple of Ana found both pieces thousands of years later. I am more than just some priestess, my friends. I am an Oracle."

Zane and Aster knelt in respect. Jaden scratched his head. "Huh?"

"She can speak to the Goddesses, idiot!" Aster said impatiently.

Della nodded. "Yes. It is because I am closer to Ana that my order gave me the second half of the Heart of Helios for safekeeping until we reached Emboldor, where Yugi Muto was going to put it back together."

"I knew Yugi had it in him to put a Gem of Horakhty back together," said Jaden.

"Of course, he does," said Aster. "He's an Eyar. He can do anything. As for you, Della, you outta be ashamed of yourself. How could you let the Aeons gain possession of the stone?"

Jaden frowned at that. "Hey, back off, Aster."

Della stepped forward. "I can speak for myself, Jaden, thank you. As for you, buster!" She poked Aster on the chest. "It wasn't my fault! I had no idea we would be attacked by foreign mercenaries working for a criminal organization. Let's face it. Swords and fireballs do little to repel against drones, anti-magic machines, and guns."

"But when I found you, you were chased by western highwaymen," said Jaden.

"I was long gone from the assault before I encountered them," Della replied. "Those other men wanted my bottom more than they wanted the stone."

"You saved her from creeps," said Zane. "Nice work, Jaden. But now it looks like we've got ourselves a problem. Alexis is down in the Underground surrounded by mercenaries and Aeon thugs. Even with your HEROES and my Cyber Dragons with their upgrades, we're going to have a hard time getting her out of there."

"But how do we get there?" asked Aster. "There have to be a thousand entrances, many more of them hidden, that lead to the Underground. If we don't find the right entrance, we could be searching for Alexis for days. And she doesn't have that amount of time left, Zane. They'll kill her before we can find her."

"Not quite," said Zane. "Instead of digging him out, we'll draw him out."

"What can I do, Mr. Zane?" Della asked.

"Oooh no!" said Jaden. "It's too dangerous. We'll take care of this. Besides, you have the second half of the Heart of Helios. We can't risk you getting caught."

"He's right," Aster agreed. "I imagine Aldric's powerful enough with just one half. You incompetence saw to that. We can't afford to let him get the second piece."

Della snapped. "You know, I really don't like you Aster Phoenix! I'll have you know I can take care of myself! I am skilled in the arts of White Magic and Illusion. True, I can't summon big brutes like you fellas do, but I can...HEY!"

One of Zane's Cyber Dragons grabbed her by the skirt with its mouth and lifted her up.

"HEY! HEY! HEY!" she yelled. "What is this!?"

"Take her back to my room at once," Zane commanded.

"Let me go!" shouted Della. "Unhand me you ugly beast!"

"My friend Kara will take care of you," Zane said, struggling not to laugh. "And as for you," he said to the Cyber Dragon. "Make sure she stays there."

"NO!" shouted Della. "How dare you! All of you! You can't treat me like this AAAAAAAAAAAA!" Cyber Dragon took off with Della into the night.

Jaden chuckled. "Poor girl. But, uh, Zane. Now that only leaves us with two Cyber Dragons. You kind of left us at a disadvantage here."

"Not quite," said Zane. "Kara Kestrel, my lead engineer, and designer in the Cyber Dragon Project, has come up with an artistic way to boost the power of my beasts."

Jaden beamed. "Aw, cool! So, like new weapons and stuff?"

"Sort of," chuckled Zane. He looked at his two remaining Cyber Dragons. "Let's just say whoever said TWO heads are better than one is a total genius."


	10. Cyber Pharos

**Della**

* * *

"This is so undignified! Put me down!"

Cyber Dragon pushed the windows open with its snout and then dropped Della on the floor.

"Oof!" she cried after landing with a thud. "You cut that out!" she shouted. "If I had my way, I'd turn you into scrap metal."

Cyber Dragon pulled its head out of the room.

"Hold on! I'm not finished with you! Come back here! I demand you take me back to Jaden and the others at once! Hey!"

Cyber Dragon roared in her face. Della whimpered and cowered behind a sofa. Cyber Dragon snorted and slammed the windows shut with its tail and zoomed into the clouds to remain out of sight.

"Oh!" Della groaned and crossed her arms. "Men! The world will be so better off without them."

She heard singing from upstairs. Curiously, she followed the melody up a spiral staircase into the laboratory where Zane worked on his Cyber Dragons. The music was coming from a room in the east wing. She walked down a long hallway with stone waterfalls on either side of the path. She slowly opened the door and saw the cause of the music. All around the room where holographic blueprints and windows of mechanical dragons and weapons systems. At the center was a girl in her pajamas singing and dancing as she designed a new beast for Zane.

* * *

_Once upon a time, there was a boy, an innocent youth_

_Born into our beautiful kingdom_

_ The boy grew into a king, who saved our world_

_In a time when the God Cards had risen_

_And burned the whole realm with a roar_

* * *

_Once upon a time, there was a boy, a beautiful boy,_

_Who tamed the God Cards of Horakhty_

_And created a beautiful kingdom_

_Surrounded by mountain and glistening shores_

_Where Humans and Elves sang in joy_

* * *

_Once upon a time, there was a boy, a glorious king_

_Entangled in the fury of an ancient war_

_He raised a mighty sword, burning with the light of the sun_

_And felled all his foes with its flames_

* * *

"Oh!" Kara said. She removed her headphones. "You must be Della."

"And you must be Kara," Della replied.

She wondered at the lab and the strange gizmos and contraptions, hard at work on a new weapon Kara was designing for Zane's Cyber Dragon. Della leaned forward and examined one of the holographic screens projecting next to one of the machines. It read **Photon Generator**.

"What is all this? What are you doing?"

Della waved her hand around, creating a sort of lock, which logged her off a certain window with more private designs. "You think a numbskull like Zane could get those beasts running at maximum efficiency all by himself?"

Della rolled her eyes and scoffed. "After what he did to me, I don't know what to think."

Kara couldn't help but laugh at that. She saw what Della had gone through on the camera built into the Cyber Dragon's upper jaw. She told Della to take a hot bath while she prepared her soup and fresh, dry clothes, which turned out to be a long jumpsuit with hearts and flowers. Della found herself looking ridiculous. Kara's excuse for giving her that was that it was the only one she had. She wasn't all that into pajamas when she slept. In fact, the long pajamas were a joke gifted to her by Zane as a joke when she worked really late one night.

Kara watched as Della drank her soup. "So you're an Oracle, Zane tells me." She bowed. "It's such an honor. There are so few of you remaining in the world."

"The Orcs saw to our demise long ago," said Della, marveling at the blueprints of the dragons Kara was creating, floating around the room as if they were decorations. "This is amazing. You built all of these yourself?"

Kara got up to return to her computer. "I haven't built anything yet, dear. They're just some designs I hope to incorporate in the future. I'm working on a Cyber Dragon for my own."

"Will Zane approve?"

"He'd better if he wants me working on these things. Besides, watching all the cam footage of his battles stoked me to make one for myself. It looks like wicked fun."

Della pointed at one of the blueprints. "Is this one yours? The one you're building?"

Kara sat down in front of her computer. "Uh-huh. I hope Zane coughs up the money for him. I am so stoked about the design. I call him Seiger."

Della nodded. "Seiger. I'm sure he'll be born one day."

"Probably not," Kara laughed, touching the screen with her finger to access a bird's eye view of the city. "Those three Cyber Dragons Zane has. They cost us three hundred million gold to make."

"Gracious!"

"Yeah. And that was from Zane's private funds. It costs another three million to upgrade the damn things. Zane's rich, but he's a little paranoid about losing his status as a billionaire. One more big project and he's sinking to the bottom. It'll be a while before he finds any business ventures that will allow me to build Sieger."

Della rubbed her shoulder and tapped her foot on the ground, pondering what to say. "Perhaps the Queen will pay him a reward for rescuing the Princess?"

Kara laughed. "Zane's not doing this for a reward, hon. It's more of a matter of redemption. He wants to help people."

"Redemption?"

"Yeah. Before Zane started thinking about dressing up in fancy costumes and taking down bad guys, he was a designer of high-tech gadgets. He built drones that could increase the efficiency of our agriculture tenfold. In the sky, UAV's patrolled our borders and kept bandits away. Those robots you see cleaning up the streets. Yeah, those were made by him. By the time he graduated from Duelist Academy's grade-school levels, he was already a self-made billionaire; his fortune second to Seto Kaiba. Needless to say that Zane's status as a Pro Duelist helped a lot in that venture. As much as Zane loves his gadgets, he loves Duel Monsters so much more. Zane didn't waste his fortune on himself, though. He built schools, new Dueling Arenas that were affordable for anyone who wanted to play in them. And he added some new facilities to the Duelist Academy university level. Doesn't surprise me as he's going back there to learn Link Summoning and other stuff. Not to mention he's obsessed with Dueling Prince Yuri when he returns from exile. But something bad happened."

"Huh?"

"A year ago, some creep named Nesbit, one of the leaders of the Termnnian Bank, convinced Zane to start building weapons. And why not? War was on our doorstep. Prince Hector, Yuri's cousin, started marching on Emboldor to take the crown from him. And up north we have King Forrest and his 'Holy Crusade' ready to wreak their vengeance on us. Zane built drones and weapons to hold back our enemies. But evil has a way of getting its hand on what it wants. A fanatical terrorist franchise, known as Bright October, was able to highjack Zane's drones and even attack convoys carrying weapons he designed from schematics he acquired from the other dimension. Gold October used their new toys to assault the Elves of the Azure Mountain Realm. And they slaughtered them. None survived. Women. Children. Butchered like lambs."

Della gasped. "Oh no!"

Kara nodded and took a sip of her coffee. "I read in the paper that it hit Zane hard. He took responsibility for what happened to the Elves. If mere bandits could hack into his machines, he reckoned he wasn't so smart after all. Poor guy."

"Well, what does he expect to do with his Cyber Dragons?"

"Wipe away the cancer that plagues this city. And beyond," Kara answered. "Those dragons are like nothing I've ever seen before. And it's about to get so much better."

* * *

**Zane**

* * *

As usual, the docks of the Waterfront District was alive with activity. Zane watched as a force of a hundred men were loading cargo into trucks with the emblem of the PMC, Watch Tower, on the doors. What he saw next made him shiver.

"What the hell?" Zane muttered, zooming the camera towards the docks. "Guys, they've got Cuirasses."

"What?" Jaden asked. He was watching the activity on the pier from another building.

"Mechs," Aster answered from the shadows of an alleyway outside the docks. "Humanoid combat vehicles from Balodrum. Those babies caused lots of damage in the Crystal Wars up there. That was a civil conflict that nobody could win. These things are devastating."

"And they also aided the Covenant of Yeyu in wiping out the True Dragons in the Night of Flames in Tears," Zane answered. "Dragon slaying machines. It's because of these monstrosities that True Dragons no longer fly our skies. Not even the Blue-Eyes White Dragon could stand up to them. Hmm, judging by their sleek designs, these are Generation 10 models. That means they're going to have stealth capabilities."

Aster groaned. "I guess that's going to be hell for your targeting systems, huh?"

"We'll see what they can do," Zane answered with uncertainty in his voice.

"It should be an even fight," Nel-E explained. "Miss Kara took the liberty to equip your Cyber Dragons with a brand new stealth coating from Paradius. Your dragons will prove hard for them to hit as well."

Zane cringed. "Paradius. I can feel my bank account screaming."

Aster peered through a magical looking glass. "Hmm, that symbol on their shoulders. An ace of spades with two crossed swords behind a shield in the background. It's Albriet Squadron."

"Speaking of the Crystal Wars," Zane added. "Those guys were in the Battle of Silverwine River. They took down an army of hundreds with just five mechs."

"How in the hell did Watch Tower Security get their hands on Gen Tens?" Aster wondered.

"They can get their hands on anything if they put their minds to it," said Jaden. "So how are we gonna take these guys out?"

Zane radioed Kara. "Kara? It's Zane. Do you read me?"

"Lima Charlie," she singsonged. "Over."

Zane felt a tug on his stomach. He groaned, not in the mood for games. He silently muttered a prayer, hoping Kara was not doing what he thought she was. This was not the time or the place. He took a deep breath and asked her: "What's the status on Pharos?"

He heard a laugh crackling on his earpiece. "I didn't quite get that. Over."

Zane felt his blood boiling. He knew it. He just knew she was up to it again. Joking while he was on the field. "Are we really going to do this again? I don't have time for your games."

"Uh, time for what? Over," Kara joshed him.

"Kara?"

'What? Over."

He rolled his eyes. "Would you...Grrrr! Kara, does anything matter to you?"

"Does what matter to me? Over."

"Does the mission matter to you...O-ver."

"Ah, got that. Yes, it does. Over."

"Then can you PLEASE take this a little more seriously! If Pharos is ready to deploy...Over."

"Uh...gimme a sec. Over."

The radio crackled.

Zane groaned furiously. His helmet dematerialized so he could rub his temples.

"Where does she get these corny jokes?"Aster asked.

"Earth," Zane responded. "She's obsessed with their media."

Kara returned to the conversation. "It's going to be a while, Zane. I mean, Pharos is combat-ready, but in order for me to make the final adjustments on it. And with the delivery, I'm going to need another forty-five minutes."

"That's a hell of a long time," said Aster. "What exactly can this Pharos of yours do?"

"You're about to find out," said Zane.

Kara spoke. "I hope this will suit your needs for the next couple of weeks, Zane. I won't be able to come into the lab for a while."

"Why's that?"

Kara groaned. "Dude. I've got midterms. I need to study."

"Ah. I see," said Zane. "Yeah, you better get on that, then."

"Sure," Kara replied happily. "I'm heading out tomorrow morning. I don't want to miss Pharos in action. If my calculations are correct - and they are! - this should be most impressive. Boys, do your stuff. Nel-E, tell 'em what you've learned."

"The target is a Dwarf named Barrus Ironhorde, founder of Watch Tower Security and Logistics. They are under much scrutiny from the King for their ruthlessness and for numerous investigations of corruption. Watch Tower controls the Ka'l Kamoora District in the slums of the King's District. They run protection rackets on the citizens for security from the Royal Guard, desecrate Elven ruins for rare and magical artifacts, and aid slave traders to smuggle their cargo across the country to other regions, especially Naralia."

"You don't know how long I've been waiting for this," Aster said, sneaking through the shadows of the pier. "Watch Tower was supposed to keep an eye on my father. But they walked out of him when someone gave him a better offer, giving his killer the moment to strike. He stared at his palm, already conjuring an arcane orb set to summon one of his Destiny HEROES."

"You sure your HEROES can handle this enemy?" Zane asked. "They've got mechs designed for killing dragons and wiping out armies."

Aster scoffed. "I traveled the world for years learning how to conjure only the best HEROES, Zane. I'm sure Jaden can say the same."

"Yup. I've got all kinds of HEROES ready to save the day."

Zane nodded. "Hold on. There's a limo pulling up by the pier. An armored truck limo of all things."

Aster rolled his eyes. "For the love of goodness," he groaned. "That just reeks 'Hey, I'm the bad guy!'. Don't these idiots know anything about discretion?"

Jaden chuckled. "This coming from a guy who can summon a giant hulk in purple shorts into battle?"

"Lock it down, both of you!" said Zane. He waited until the limo stopped in front of a warehouse. He felt his body freeze when Barrus Ironhorde walked out of it, surrounded by two mercenaries in thick, bulky, black bomb disposal armor. They had thick armored flaps over their shoulders, going down to their feet and they fielded miniguns. Zane held his breath as the Dwarf stroked his thick, bushy, red beard, waiting for the limo's owner to come out. The door opened. Aldric stepped out, followed by two girls. One of them was...

"ALEXIS!" cried Jaden. "Zane I see Alexis!"

"Yeah, so do I," Zane said, trying to quiet him down.

His visor zoomed in. There was no mistaking her. The golden hair, the glistening hazel eyes. It was her. He found her. But why would they bring her back to the surface? Zane guessed that Aldric was using her to make him look good. A mere accessory. It made Zane sick to his stomach seeing her beauty bastardized in such a way. He balled his fists, his knuckles cracking. If these cowards didn't have guns on them or cast magic, she would have beaten them senseless. He had seen her break the jaw of a poor fool who had the audacity to stalk her in school. Not to mention she was deadly with a sword, on the count that she trained with the Ebony Knights in Elleria with her friend, Princess Evelyn. Sadly, Alexis was no mage herself. If she was, the story would be quite different. Mayhaps he would have read in the papers about how Alexis would be saving him from them. Crow sure pulled him out of trouble with mere firebolts. Zane sighed, picturing Alexis blowing them up with magic. If only. If only.

Aldric and Barrus were just talking. Then they laughed and shook hands. Aldric walked to Alexis and dragged her forward so the Dwarf could see her. Aldric slid his finger down her chin then smacked her derriere.

Too much!

Zane snapped and took off. His two Cyber Dragons screeched from the clouds and thundered after them as fast as two jets. He activated his wrist-mounted laser cannons and started bombarding them with an aerial assault. He destroyed a few vehicles, a load of crates, and a jeep that sent two Watch Tower mercs flying in all directions.

"ZANE!" he heard Alexis cry out.

Barrus was already making for the warehouse. "Albreit Squadron! Where are those fools? Deploy! We're under attack! It's him."

Zane ignored him. He went straight for Aldrich. He was ready to punch him and beat him. Alexis grabbed a dagger from one of the dead mercs and jabbed it into his back. Aldric howled in agony as Alexis repeatedly jabbed him over and over again. He turned and swatted her away with so much force that she smashed into a crate and shattered it. Zane then plowed into him and smashed the Aeon King against the wall. He jabbed Aldric on the kidneys and his ribs. He was ready to smash his face in. He struck, expecting to see a cloud of red mist. Instead, Aldric was smiling at him. It took Zane a while to realize that Aldric had his fist on his grip. Then, a horrible pain went up Zane's arm. Aldric was crushing his gauntlet with his bare hand.

"Fool," he sneered and punched Zane halfway across the pier.

"This is not good," said Aster. "Come on, Jaden."

"I'm right behind ya! Appear, Elemental HERO Gaia!" He smashed his fist on the ground and summoned his HERO. Gaia raised his cannon, pointing it at the sky, and fired a salvo of missiles on the convoy of Watch Tower vehicles. He noticed a girl in flaming pink hair pulling Alexis away towards the park. "Stay here," he commanded Gaia. He then jumped from the building and summoned another HERO. "Soar on in, Elemental HERO Flame Wingman!"

The one-winged hero appeared. He dove from a portal that appeared over the building and picked up Jaden. Jaden swung himself on Flame Wingman's back and commanded him to attack the mercs below with a rain of flames coming out of the dragon head on his right arm. He noticed the Albreit mechs taking off, ready to engage them in battle.

"Uh oh," said Jaden. "Aster, we need you, man. Flame Wingman, drop me off here. I'm going to help my friend." The HERO landed next to a parking lot. Jaden jumped off Flame Wingman's back and drew his iridescent sword.

"Look!" shouted Aldric, he could see the light of the blade from where he was. "That...that sword! It truly exists. The Sword of HEROES. It's beautiful! I want that sword! Get me that sword!"

"Aw, crap!" Jaden grumped, running off into the woods. Aldric's Aeons chose to go after him and left the pier and Zane to the Watch Tower mercenaries.

"Get me that sword!" shouted Aldric. He cracked his knuckles. "I'll take care of the Cyber Knight."

Zane was still trying to pick himself up. His visor showed him nothing but static and distorted graphs. Nel-E started giving him the damage report. When Zane learned that he had been hit with the force of ten tons of dynamite, he shivered. That was just one punch. The stone. It was giving him super strength. Aster was right. Aldric was walking towards him confidently, not caring that there were mechs and giant HEROES engaged with one another all around him. He grabbed Zane by the throat and lifted him up.

"So, you're the big hero everybody's talking about, huh?"

He tossed Zane like a toy towards a brick building. Zane smashed into it, breaking through the wall and causing it to collapse. Aldric held up his fists and laughed like a maniac. He felt a thud behind him, then slowly turned. Elemental HERO Flame Wingman stood behind him. The HERO raised his right arm and unleashed a jet of flames as hot as the surface of the sun. To this dismay, Aldric stood as though it was a mere gust of warm air. He sprinted towards Flame Wingman and smashed him in the chest with his fist. The HERO grunted and soared across the street, smashing into a crane and knocking it down.

The two Cyber Dragons swatted away two mechs and soared towards Aldric, assaulting him with their Strident Blast attacks. They did nothing to him.

Aster could not believe what he saw. "This can't be happening!" he cried. He summoned Destiny HERO Dystopia and told him to attack Aldric. Dystopia flew towards Aldric. Aldric raised his arms and held them over his fist. Dystopia flew smashed into him. Aldric dug his feet on the concrete and soared through it as though it was dirt. Then he grabbed Dystopia by the neck and threw him back at Aster. He tried to run, but the HERO soared towards him at great speed and knocked into him. Aster and Dystopia rolled to a stop. Meanwhile, mechs from Albreit Squadron flew towards Gaia. They took him down in less than a minute.

* * *

**Della**

* * *

"Can't you do something to get that thing ready quicker?" Della urged Kara. "They're getting killed out there."

"I'm working on it!" shouted Kara, fumbling on the keyboard. "I just... I never expected the Heart of Helios to be this powerful. Aldric has turned into a god."

Della gasped. "Don't say that! Remember, he only has half of the stone. We can still turn this around? Send me over there with your Pharos."

"That's out of the question, Della! Besides, it's not ready yet."

"I'm the only one who can help them, Kara. Please. Please, let me do this everybody, please."

"Just what do you intend to do?"

"Your machine still needs a boost in power. Perhaps my half of the stone could..."

"NO!" Kara knew at once what she was suggesting. "It's too dangerous. We don't know what your stone could do to Pharos. It's still unstable and with a boost like that, you can kiss the royal family and half of Domino goodbye."

Della got on her knees and prayed. "Ana. Please. I know I'm not ready yet. But I need you to trust me..."

"That's all we can do," said Kara. "I'm sorry."

_Ana. Elenari un ammar. Vo yex vonno mas vuus venidicion. Vo liat detrimarus. _

Kara froze. She turned to look at Della. "That's...that's Celtran. No one has spoken that language in years."

Della's hair started glowing like the sun. Her eyes turned a shade of amber with runes growing in the iris. She slowly turned and said: _Kara. Awenneth yistar vionath. _

Kara fell out of her seat and crawled towards the wall. "What the hell are you?"

Della walked out of Kara's room then touched the main computer of Zane's lab. Suddenly, all of her screens turned royal red with gold font. The lab started to shake, alarms wailed. Suddenly, Pharos' power levels reached the top of the charts and continued to climb.

Kara ran for her computer and typed the commands to launch Pharos. Far away at sea, a strange contraption broke the surface. It was colored bright white with glowing circuit board patterns. From the center of the platform arose a pointed tower.

"NOW ZANE!" shouted Kara. "ZANE ANSWER ME! ACTIVATE IT! USE PHAROS!"

* * *

**Zane**

* * *

Zane struggled to pull himself out of the rubble. His armor was ruined, but he could still hear Kara shouting at him to use the machine. Aldric was coming towards him, ready to finish the job. Behind him, the mechs from Albriet Squadron followed. His Aeons marched to follow their leader like mindless zombies. Zane choked from the dust. He noticed some of them carried sledgehammers and jackhammers, blowtorches and saws. This was it. Aldric was no doubt going to command his Aeons to tear Zane apart. He noticed a light from the corner of his eye and looked towards the distance. He saw a bright green glow radiating from out at sea.

"Pharos," he coughed. Then he smiled. "Now, it's time." Thankfully, the wrist-mounted computer on his gauntlet still worked. "Cyber Fusion!" he shouted.

Aldric stopped. Zane's Cyber Dragons loomed over Aldric. He laughed and held out his arms to taunt them. "You want to do this again, boys? Come at me! With the Stone of Helios! I am invincible!"

Suddenly a ray of green light hit the two Cyber Dragons. They screeched and then swirled together as if they were made out of liquid. A cloud of steam enveloped the pier and sparks of electricity snapped in the air. The light from the sparks revealed the silhouette a looming figure. It was Cyber Dragon but...it had two heads. Spikes went down its necks and back. The left head had a yellow orb on its head and burning yellow eyes. The second head had a protective dome with blue markings. Its eyes were dark green.

"Aldrich!" shouted Zane. "Allow me to introduce, Cyber Twin Dragon!"

The creature roared. The Aeons ran away, thinking it was best to let Aldric and his stone take care of it. After all, this thing had the power of two Cyber Dragons in one and it was much bigger.

"COME ON!" Aldrich shouted. "I can take you!"

The two dragons took that challenge and fired yellow lasers at him. Like before, he crossed his arms over his face to act as a shield against the blast. BOOM! He felt himself getting pushed back. It meant the dragon was strong, but if he was holding on to the blast, he was safe. Or so he thought. He felt a stinging pain and screamed. The blast subsided. Cyber Twin Dragon roared victoriously. Why? Aldric wondered. He looked at his arms.

They weren't there.

They were gone.

He screamed in horror, wailing as though he was a child who lost his favorite toy. He turned to look at Zane and fainted. Suddenly Zane heard music coming from Cyber Twin Dragon. One he heard many times when he worked with Kara in the lab. It was a song from Earth, the world beyond the Gate.

_Sweet Dreams_ by Eurythmics.

It was a good tune, Zane thought. And he was not at all surprised that Kara chose it to play as his new Cyber Dragon fusion slaughtered their enemies. Cyber Twin Dragon fired its laser attack at a group of Watch Tower mercenaries. They screamed as they flew into the air, scattering in all directions. Cyber Twin Dragon then used his tail to whip at a cluster of Aeons into the horizon. Once again, Cyber Twin Dragon roared victoriously. Flames began to tower up into the air. Two black SUVs raced towards him. The tops opened to let gunners with miniguns rise up to take a shot at the beast. The bullets smashed against the dragon's armor, doing no damage to the beast. Cyber Twin Dragon snarled and unleased its double Strident Blast attack. The so-called legendary Albriet Squadron and their mechs were taken down in two minutes flat. Zane's beast was unstoppable. Pharos, with its combination of advanced technology and magic called Polymancy (The art of fusion), was a complete success. Cyber Twin Dragon was super smart. Super strong. And alive. It seemed more biological than mechanical the more Zane looked at it. It's reaction time was quick and it almost responded to enemy attacks with a cringe. From pain or disgust, Zane did not know, nor did he care. The Aeons and the Watch Tower mercenaries were being annihilated.

"Zane!" Alexis shouted, running through the chaos. Jaden was behind her, Elemental HERO Flame Wingman was soaring above them, bathing more enemies in flames while Cyber Twin Dragon was blasting away mechs. They were nothing to it. And he was keeping Alexis safe as she made her dash for Zane.

After many days, Zane could finally hug his friend. When he held her, he didn't let go. He didn't want to let go. It took him some time to grasp at the fact that this was real. He could control his emotions no more. He clamped his teeth shut to keep from sobbing. But he could not contain his tears. They dripped from his eyes, splashing on her forehead.

She tried to comfort him. "I'm all right. It's okay."

Zane collapsed to his knees, bringing Alexis down with him. "I'm sorry," he said. "I'm so sorry!" He looked around. "Where's the girl that tortured you!?"

"You mean me?" Fahrenheit said approaching them.

"You!" shouted Zane. His photon blade morphed from his gauntlet and hummed violently. "I'll have her head."

"Don't!" Alexis said at once. "She didn't want to do those things to me. She didn't really have that much of a choice. She's the reason why I'm here. She helped me escape."

Zane looked at the pink-haired girl, who was uncaringly scratching her nose. "That's the way of it," she said. "I want my revenge against the Church. But Aldric's mind twisted to madness the moment he learned about the gem. I don't want to risk the open war and putting a madman on the throne to take down an organization. I was willing to go far, but I have my limit. Lex, no hard feelings, right?"

Alexis narrowed her eyes. "No. As far as I'm concerned, you enjoyed what you did to me, even if you were conflicted deep inside. Idrialla would not have approved of this. If you really want to keep her memory alive and avenge her spirit, you're going to have to find something else to do with your life. This is only going to get you killed. Look around you." She held her arm up at Zane's Cyber Dragon and the Elemental and Destiny HEROES standing around the group. "You'll be making enemies with the wrong people. They stopped Aldric's plan to be king. They sure as hell can stop you. I appreciate you helping me escape, but if I catch you with these scumbags again, I'm locking you in the dungeon for life. And if there's to be an appointment with the headsman, I'll gladly sign the document. Got it?"

Fahrenheit smiled. "You're a tough little bird when out of your cage, Princess. I have a feeling you can be someone even stronger. Am I free to go?"

Zane and Aster were about to protest, but Alexis held up her hand to silence them. "By order of the Princess of Lorin, I pardon you of your crimes, Fahrenheit. Go. Make something better of yourself."

"Do you have any idea of the atrocities this girl has committed?" Zane growled.

Alexis sighed. "She killed priests and members of the Church Militant. As far as I'm concerned, they're animals who needed to be put down. But those days are over, right?"

"No, promises, ya little cutie. So long as the Covenant of Yeyu is still active, I'll be hot on their trail."

Alexis narrowed her eyes. "Then I give you twenty-four hours to get as far away from me as possible."

Just then, Zane remembered something. The Heart of Helios. Aldric was still wearing it. Zane turned to look, but he was gone. He then spotted him running for a van. His arms were growing back. He gave Zane the middle finger and then flew away. The stone gave him the power to fly.

"NO!" Zane shouted. He tried to take off but his suit was too damaged.

Fahrenheit made a blowing noise through her lip. "Oooo, tough luck there, hero. Looks like this isn't the last you've seen of Aldric."

"Cyber Twin Dragon! Go...!"

"Let him go," Aster said weakly as he hobbled towards him. "Did you see the way he took off? He's long gone by now and out of your dragon's range."

"But he still has the gem," said Zane. "We have to stop him! He won't give up on getting the crown."

"He has part of the gem, remember?" said Aster. "He has a few good moves, but your Cyber Twin Dragon just proved he can be beaten. Unless he takes Della's half, Cyber Dragon is tougher than he is. The next time he decides to start a coup, we'll be ready for him. What matters now is that Alexis is safe. And I got this chump over here."

Destiny HERO Dystopia was dragging Barrus, who was tied up in chains. "I'm going to end him once and for all. As for you, Alexis, try to be a little more careful next time, huh."

Alexis laughed. "Hey, don't worry about me. Where you going Aster?"

"Well, there's still a big city full of criminals," he answered with a cocky shrug. "And they're all asking for a date with Destiny." He looked down at the Dwarf. "But this guy is gonna wish he was never born." He snapped his fingers, commanding Dystopia to follow him. The Dwarf mumbled and cried for help as he was dragged away.

Alexis cringed, watching them as they turned a corner. "Eesh," she said before looking at Jaden. "Glad to see you again, Jaden. I see your training in Rassay proved very effective." She marveled at his Flame Wingman, standing there in the flesh. "Using your newfound powers for vigilante work, huh?"

"You can say something like that," he replied, sliding his finger back and forth under his nose. "I mean, it wasn't my idea, but after seeing Zane and Aster in action, I've got to say it's cool to see my HEROES kicking butt outside of a Duel. I think I'll join in on the fun, too."

Alexis couldn't help but chuckle. "Man. Cyber Dragons. HEROES. And that Revendread guy I read in the papers. Aldric and the bad guys of Domino better watch out now that you guys are in town."

Zane formed a big grin. "I like the sound of that. Beats sitting in the office all day signing documents. And Prince Yuri is coming home soon. We need to get this city cleaned up for his arrival."

"Sweet!" Jaden said with a big leap in the air. "Count me in, Zane! What about you, Alexis?"

She shook her head. "I don't want to be the damsel in distress forever," said said. "But I'm not ready yet. Having skill with a blade won't do me good against criminals with Earth-based weapons and magic like the Aeons. I'm going to fix this problem soon and take my mom's advice."

"So you're finally going to study magic and take it seriously?" Zane asked, ruffling her hair.

"Hey!" she said, swatting his hand away. "Of course, I am. I'm going to be stronger than both of you, mark my words. Who knows. Maybe someday, I'll be the one saving you, Zane."

Jaden laughed out loud, rubbing the back of his head. "Man. Zane, I'll never let you live that one day, I'll tell ya."

Zane sighed and punched Jaden in the arm to shut him up. "Kara," he said. "Contact King Eldon. Tell him to let Queen Rhodes know we have her daughter."

She squealed on the radio. "Good job! I'll let him know right away."

Zane gave Alexis another long and affectionate hug. "All right, Alexis. Let's get you home."


	11. Epilogue

**Two Months Later**

* * *

"How were your final exams?" Zane asked, stopping his car in the parking lot of the Domino City central station. Snow was falling down from the clouds, blanketing the city with thick sheets of white. Bright yellow light strings were wrapped around every tree for miles.

"I passed them all," Kara cheered. "Now all I've gotta do is buy my cap and gown."

"Congratulations," Zane said, sipping on a salted caramel hot chocolate. "So can I look forward to you helping out in the lab? Or do you have other ventures?"

"Other ventures? After the way you kicked ass last time? No way. You pay me better than my old man for these projects and I'm having way too much fun with this new design you gave me. Wanna see the progress?"

"Put it up," Zane said. His dashboard showed him the projection of his newest creation. One he hoped would be up and running soon. Aldric was still on the run, and he has the Heart of Helios. With this, Aldric would have no choice but to stay in the shadows. He nodded, seeing the model spin in front of him.

"He's perfect," Zane said. He sipped his caramel again.

Kara shivered. "He's awesome but, uh, don't you think three heads are a little too much, Zane? That thing is really scary. And wicked powerful. His power levels rival that of the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon."

"Not good enough," said Zane. "Give him a little more oomph." His watch beeped. "I better go. It's almost time for Alexis to leave."

"All right, Frankenstein. Any word from Jaden and Della?"

"They're still looking for Aldric," said Zane. "You really think Della is a..."

"Don't worry about what I think. I believe I have a lot more research to do before I can confirm my suspicions. The moment I saw that girl, I knew she wasn't normal, Zane. You be careful."

"Mmm," said Zane. "I'll see you when you get back from break."

"Of course. See you then. Over."

"Fuck off," he chuckled, hanging the line. He got out of the car and hurried into the station to find Alexis, who was waiting for him so she could say goodbye.

"So you're heading north?" Zane asked.

"To Elleria," Alexis replied. "I'm going to stay with Princess Evelyn and attend a magical prep school called Madame Chocolarde's School for Gifted Girls."

"Gifted?" Zane asked. "As in magic? But you don't know..."

Alexis snapped her fingers and created flames. She smiled.

"Oh. When?"

"I learned the basics after school let out. I wanted to surprise you. But...Aldric got to me."

Zane wrinkled his nose as Alexis snapped the flames away. "Such a shame you didn't learn about it sooner," he said. "That would have helped you out the night Aldric's boys kidnapped you."

Alexis shrugged. "That's all in the past, Zane. I'm going to be haunted by this experience, but I sure as hell am not going to be weakened by it. Besides, it's a good prep school to go to before Duelist Academy. I'll definitely learn a thing or two about magic there. Dual majoring in Duel Monsters and the Arcane Arts ought to be fun. And with High King Yuri joining us, I think that's going to be a real treat."

Zane chuckled. "Good luck to you Alexis. See you in a year."

"Yeah. I'll write to you whenever I get the chance. Oh, mom wanted you to have this."

She reached into the pocket of her coat, then handed him a ring with the escutcheon of the Queen engraved on an aquamarine on the top. She put it on for him and smiled when it was a perfect fit.

"Yup. My mom has officially declared you Thane of Maplecourt, it's a very luxurious estate in our lands. Feel free to move in any time you want."

"Huh. I don't know what to say, Lex. But...thanks."

"Of course, I told her you're going to have your hands full here." She winked. "She knows your secret. She swears on her honor as a White Rose that she won't tell anyone."

"I'll keep the city secure until Yuri comes home," said Zane.

"Yeah, well, don't think you guys are going to have all the fun. Once I develop my skills, I'll be out there helping you out. That's a promise. Oh, I heard rumors of a girl who can summon True Dragons out west. If she ever makes it here, you need to ask her for aid. Goddesses know you're going to need that kind of power on your side."

"Until she gets here, I've got things covered," Zane said happily.

The last call for the train was announced. Zane watched as his friend joined the long line of people boarding to get on. She found a window seat and waved at him. Zane waved back and watched her disappear into the horizon.

* * *

**Aldric**

* * *

He smashed his fist on the table. His underground manor, once full of loyal Aeons, was now empty, with only his top officers surviving the assault. After his defeat, no one wanted to side with him. He got cocky and paid for it dearly. Even with the Heart of Helios in his control, he failed.

"WE WERE SO CLOSE!" he shouted, throwing the table out the window, smashing it to pieces. "This stone! I thought I was supposed to be invincible! What happened? Why doesn't it work!"

"Maybe because you don't have the full stone, fool!"

Aldric turned to look at the intruder. Someone was stepping out of the shadows. A figure, clad in a black hooded coat with plates of armor on the chest and shoulders walked into the light coming from the lamps outside. He removed the hood and revealed himself to be a man with long, whitish-pink hair and eyes as brown as decay.

"You," Aldric said, backing away. He tripped on a chair and fell, landing hard on his butt. "B-Bakura!"

"So right," Bakura answered, taking a seat on one of the chairs. "Let's talk about your future."

* * *

**End of Part 1**


	12. Part 2: Cyberdark Impact

**Part II: Cyberdarl Impact**

* * *

**December 6th **

**Year 17 4AOS **

Kara Kestrel sighed heavily when she heard the door to her cell open. She did not see who it was coming in, on the count of the blindfold over her eyes, but she could tell that who it was that stomped in. No doubt to try and coax her to 'aid' him in his endeavors again.

She heard heavy footsteps surround her. Then they stopped. All was silent for a moment.

Whoosh!

Her blindfold was ripped off. She saw the cold, gray, stone walls of the small room. They were dripping with moisture coming from cracks on the ceiling. The vent above the chilled the room and one lone lightbulb illuminated the darkness. Kara couldn't help but chuckle when she saw the grizzled face of the leader of the_ New Aeons_. She rolled her eyes every time she remembered the name. It was so unoriginal and cliche. But these guys thought it brought them power and were pretentious enough to believe it _cool_. But, as comic-booky as these guys were, she did not wish to test them and further. She lost two fingernails and was slapped across the face with a belt for making fun of them earlier.

The leader, named Gunder, leaned forward, going face to face with her. He used his jaw to flick a toothpick to the right and clamped it down with his molars, grinning like a Dark Rabbit. "So, my pet, have you thought about it yet?"

Kara looked away. Gunder placed his fingers on her chin and turned her head slowly back to his gaze. "Don't be like that, my dear. You want to go home, don't you? Of course, you do. And you will. All you have to do is build me a suit. You know. Just like the one you made for him. Your...buddy."

Kara growled. "Tell me. Who told you about Zane? How did you find out it was him?"

Gunder leaned back with a look of shock expanding his face. He looked around at his men, who also seemed to be overtaken by what Kara just said.

"Zane Truesdale? So he's the Cyber Knight?"

Kara started to babble uncontrollably. "Wh-what? You mean you didn't know?"

Gunder and his men laughed. He tapped his temple. "I didn't. I just heard from a little birdie that it was you who was building suits for the Cyber Knight. And adding upgrades to his dragons as well."

"Who told you about that?"

"That doesn't matter, girly. What matters is you're here and you just spilled the beans. I told you, little one. Don't mess with me.I'm smarter than you know."

He snapped his fingers. A skinny, tattooed, maniac wheeled in a cart covered with a white sheet. He stopped it right by Kara and cackled as he yanked the sheet off to reveal all sorts of nasty tools for ripping skin, pulling teeth, and breaking bones.

Kara clenched her teeth and wriggled around in fright.

"Terrible aren't they?" he asked, picking up a small blowtorch, which he used to light a cigar from a pocket in his tactical vest. "It doesn't have to be like this, you know. All you have to do is build me a suit. And maybe my own Cyber Dragon."

"It's going to be a cheap dragon and a cheap suit," Kara said with a scoff and looked away. "You don't have the money for such a thing. Nor the resources. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't."

Gunder blew a cloud of smoke at her face. Kara coughed and squinted her eyes.

"You think money and resources are going to be a problem?"

"You'd have to rob every bank in Eredas in order for me to make a decent upgrade for a suit, boy-o. You guys are way out of your league. I can't help you."

"Well, if you can't build me a suit, I'll make sure you don't build him anymore either."

The maniac grabbed Kara's hand and slammed it on the table. Gunder picked up a bone saw and activated it in front of Kara's face as he laughed. "For every day you go without building me that suit. You lose a piece of yourself. How about...your thumb."

"No...no!" Kara closed her eyes and braced herself for the agony.

Suddenly, the walls behind one of Gunder's men collapsed. Two fists of silver-steel trimmed with blue neon reached out of the dust cloud and grabbed the Aeon, yanking him back to get smashed in the face with a powerful punch. The Aeons backed away from the collapsed wall and cowered at the end of the room. Those who had guns raised them, while the mages readied their spells.

They gasped in horror as a knight stomped into the room. The icy blue neon decorating his armor flooded the room with its eerie light. The large visor on his helmet was glowing blue with cerulean hexagon-shaped tiles decorating the glass.

"SHOOT! SHOOT!" shouted Gunder.

His men fired the contraband rifles they bought from Earth, hoping their armor-piercing rounds - which cost them a fortune to purchase - would do considerable damage to their foe. The knight went down on one knee, and smashed his fist on the ground, activating iridescent wings spanning 50 feet. The wings folded, forming a shield to guard the knight against the bullets. The mages jumped forward - one of them felt cocky enough to perform a flip over the table - and unleashed a barrage of fireballs. The knight's wings dispersed as he stood up at once and held out his hand, forming an arcane barrier that absorbed the magic spells. The flames turned cyber blue and were then shot back at the mages, ending them with one hit.

"Don't step any further!" shouted Gunder. He grabbed Kara by the hair and pulled her back. He shoved the barrel of his gold-plated pistol under her chin. "I'll blow her brains out, boy! I'll do it! Just turn back and get the hell out of here."

"Let go of my friend and I will," The Cyber Knight responded. "We can forget this all happened."

"She stays with me!" Gunder yelled, holding Kara close. He sniffed her hair. "You have no idea what I went through to get her. How many men I sacrificed."

"You really think I give a damn?"

"If she goes with you, she leaves with a bullet in her brain!"

The Cyber Knight shook his head. "Really poor choice you made there."

Two launchers rose out of the knight's shoulders. Then, dozens of micro missiles burst out and hit Gunder and his men, killing them instantly. Kara freed herself from the dead man's grip and picked up an SMG from the cold fingers of an Aeon.

"You're a little late."

"I was held up. Sorry about that."

Kara peeked out the hole in the wall Zane made. "Really? Held up? What? Was there traffic in the atmosphere or something?"

"Very funny," said Zane. "No, it's something far worse than that."

Kara scanned the halls for enemies. "What?"

"There's nobody here," said Zane, walking out into the hallway calmly. "Kara. The gig is up. Somebody knows I'm the Cyber Knight."

Kara felt as though someone turned her body off. She felt cold and numb. Her stomach chilled like a lake in winter. "That's impossible! Who? Why? Was it these guys?"

"I was hoping they were the ones, but it turns out that they work for someone far more powerful than some gang of street thugs. No, Kara. Whoever found out about me is someone with deep connections. Someone with eyes all over this city. And they're forcing me against the wall. I'm afraid I have to fess up."

"Can't Nel-E just..."

"Nel-E's systems were fried when she tried to dig into any info on the leaker. She's fine, she's fine, but she's not going to touch that matter again anytime soon. I assure you. She can't help us anymore."

Kara dropped the weapon and slammed her back against the wall. "What's going to happen now?"

"I have to appear before the Royal Eredian Army Committee to stand trial. Albert Smitt is going to be my judge. Knowing that pencil-necked jerk-off, he's going to want me to surrender the dragons over to the military."

"Shit."

Zane placed his hand on her shoulder to comfort her. "I won't make it easy for him. I'll take you home. Take a shower, order some food, and relax. I have some business to take care of in the throne room."

"Busy night, Zane?"

"Very."

* * *

**Prince Michael**

* * *

"When will tonight end?" thought Prince Michelangelo Octavius Dalton, crown prince of Eredas. He straightened his black hair while standing beside his father King Eldon Vasserius Dalton XIII, who sat on the throne wearing gold plate over his kingly attire, an extravagant black suit and tie with faint silvery filigree that shined when in the right lighting. Zane was pacing back and forth behind him, also eager for the meeting to end.

"Going Aeon hunting again?" Zane asked discretely as the parliament was having another vote on resources.

"Ever since you built those Cyber Dragons, all you've ever wanted was to go Aeon hunting. You're not going to find him, Zane. Aldric is long gone from here. And he knows your dragons outpower his jewel a million to one. Especially if he has only half of it."

"He doesn't know that."

"Let's hope it stays that way. Even with his HEROES, Jaden can't stand up to him alone. What about the big reveal you made earlier? The Committee called me in to testify against you, you know that?"

Zane shrugged. "Well, I didn't expect it to be a secret for long. You can't exactly have powerful, mechanical dragons and not have anyone know about them, eh? Don't worry, I'll figure something out."

His mother, Queen Nanna Vlinorman Dalton, a young elf-woman, hushed them both. She sat on another regal throne beside her king in a small black dress and stilettos. Her queen's jewels were shining brightly on her neck and pointed ears.

Michael had inherited those ears, but they were not as pointed as his mothers. He was a Half-Elf prince, and proud of it despite the many priests and practitioners of the Yeyu faith who harassed him on the streets, though they scarcely did that any more thanks to some new 'acquaintances' he made. Michael is a Summoner, and a damn good one, who inherited the powers of the Kings of Pandemonium, a dimension of the Shadow Realm, another reason why he was so feared and hated by the Church.

Michael's beasts were known as Archfiends; warmongering, bloodthirsty fiends who chose him as their master because of his claim to three very special monsters; Fiends themselves who are said to rival the God Cards. But those cards were still locked away in a vault, thousands of feet below the streets of Domino City, and even if he became King of Eredas, he would possibly never acquire the beasts.

Nevertheless, the Archfiends proved very capable companions when dealing with Mage gangs who caused trouble in the streets. But even though Michael had the upper hand against the magical thugs of Domino, the gangs always come back stronger and more determined to take him down.

He was given the name The Archfiend Prince since his favorite monster to summon was Terrorking Archfiend and his beloved wife Infernalqueen Archfiend. He longed to use them again tonight after this droll meeting.

Unfortunately for him, Nanna was not pleased that her son stalked the streets looking for that gang, even if it was they who almost started a coup against her husband. She could see the lust for battle burning in his eyes, and Zane's. Those boys have been friends since birth, and she knew that when they shared the same look, it meant they were going to search for trouble. The queen grabbed her son's forearm and rubbed the back of his hand.

"You are not thinking of going back to the streets, are you?" she whispered, so as not to disturb the representative from Kaiba Corp below their towering pedestal.

"I only wish to play cards tonight, mother," said Michael. "Still, someone has to take care of them."

"Not you!" she said, trying to keep her voice down. "You were recently invited to join Prince Daveed in a royal alliance, my love. If something were to happen to you..."

"They won't let anything happen to me," Michael said coldly.

Nanna swallowed and made a rather upset expression when she realized who the 'They' he was talking about were. She patted his hand affectionately. "You are my boy, not theirs!"

"I know that mother, but you're a fool if you think that they are the ones who control me."

"You haven't been the same since they found you," she implored him to listen. "Michael, please. Just, forget your friends this night."

"I cannot," said Michael. "I promised Crow I'd trade with her."

Zane stepped forward. "My Queen. If I may..."

"No! No, you may not, Zane!" snapped Nanna. "You're in enough trouble as it is helping my son fight those thugs with those...beasts you've made in your lab. Believe me, we're going to talk about that later." She looked at her son. "Michael. Somehow I don't think you're going all the way to that tacky part of town just to play and trade cards."

King Eldon turned after showing a palm to the Kaiba Corp representative as a gesture to hold. "Michael is twenty-years now, love. He is free to make his own decisions. And quite frankly, I believe our son and his companions do a far better job at taking care of those delinquents from the Domino City PD. Trudge has let me down for the last time after those poor school girls from my academy were deflowered under his watch. Michael, if those thugs cause any trouble while you're in town, I want you to deal with them as you see fit. Make this fight an example of what happens when they threaten our citizens. Zane, I say the same to you. Those mechanical beasts of yours are hungry, I can feel it."

"Yes, Your Highness," Zane said with a nod.

"But, Michael has been chosen by Master Yu-Gi-Oh for the Alliance!" pleaded Nanna.

"Yes," agreed King Eldon, "because my son is a man of action. If Michael sat around and did nothing like those pompous princes of the West, he would not have been selected to sit with future High King Yuri as a Knight of the Royal Termnnian Table. Michael, heed not the worry of your mother and take care of those bunglers. I command it! As your father and as your king!"

Nanna swallowed to keep herself from weeping. "But dearest!"

"Our son must atone for missing the meeting with Master Yu-Gi-Oh. And cleaning up this city is the way."

Michael scoffed. "You could have texted me, you know."

Eldon frowned. "We sent you hundreds of messages to come home! You never did. Do you have any idea how embarrassed I was? You shamed us that night, Michelangelo."

"Father, I didn't mean to. It was a Friday. I was at the Nexus. I told Yugi it was a bad time."

"Address him properly!" snapped Eldon. "He is your master. You would have never acquired the skills you have if it weren't for him. The Nexus. I am not surprised you did not pay heed to our messages."

Nanna nodded in agreement. "Possibly hanging out with that wretched girl. I told you she was going to be trouble."

"She's not…"

"Not another word," said Eldon. "Go. Go take care of those hoodlums running around my city. When you clean the streets, you will invite Master Yu-Gi-Oh back to our house and attend his meeting properly."

"Yes, father," said Michael at once.

The king turned to Zane. "Take care of my son, Zane."

"I shall, Your Grace." Zane bowed.

Nanna sighed in defeat and kissed the back of Michael's hand. "Do be careful out there, Michael Dalton."

"I will mama," said Michael. He hugged her and bowed to everyone to excuse himself from the court. "I love you."

"I love you, too. And try not to cause any more trouble," she added, as Michael walked out of the throne room.

The two young men excused themselves from court, and exited the throne room. Michael almost leaped with joy when the doors shut behind them. "I thought that was never going to end."

Zane chuckled. "Yeah. Well, I'll head to my room and gear up."

"Try not to use End this time, Zane. You take away all the fun."

"HA!" Zane laughed and then went to the western hallway.

Once in his room, Michael dressed out of his princely suit and into attire suitable for the streets. He placed a black beanie on his head with the emblem of the royal family embroidered in white on the front. He went into an elevator and down to the garage where he picked one of his fifty sports cars and drove into the night. He attached as USB cable from his phone into the radio of his car and played his favorite song. He looked to the sky and saw Zane soaring overhead in his brand new suit. His three Cyber Dragons were not too far behind.

"_Kara to Chubby Checkers. Kara to Chubby Checkers. Over_."

Michael answered. "Kara, call me that again and I swear, I'll have Mist Archfiend haunt you in the night."

"Sheesh, have a sense of humor, will ya? I did build you your own suit. Have you given it a try yet?"

"No, not yet," Michael answered. He held out his hand. The sleeve of his leather jacket extended, covering his forearm and hand. Then, it turned into a gauntlet of black armor with neon purple lights. "Interesting," he said examining the gauntlet. "So this is Kara's nanotechnology."

"_Ekross evenatari frovost_?" asked Terrorking Archfiend in his fell language from inside Michael's ring.

Michael grinned. "Hell yeah," he said, steering his vehicle out of the garage and into the streets of Domino. He held out his right palm and conjured a ball of blue flames. "Feeling frisky tonight fellas?"

He zoomed downtown over a long steel bridge with a unique wave design and blue LED lights that lit up the night. A group of Elvish girls celebrating their leader's eighteenth birthday was standing out of the sunroof of their armored SUV limousine.

They saw the exotic car beside them and cheered when they recognized Prince Michael inside. They began exposing themselves for his attention, and blew kisses his way, hoping he would join them on their night of depravity. He merely smirked at them, activated his nitrous, and sped off into the night.

"_Michael Ye'kron krist sem'freth elyo vreen_," snarled Terrorking Archfiend.

"I'll have fun when the city is clean, old friend," said Michael. "You really want me to get laid, don't you?"

The Terrorking Archfiend laughed in response.

"Zane," said Michael. "You scout ahead for those Aeons. I'm going to pick up Crow and the crew."

"All right, don't leave me alone for too long. There might not be anything left."

"Pfft," scoffed Michael. "Asshole."

Michael then drove to a card shop in the port of the downtown King's District. He parked his car in a space reserved for him and slid up the door to his car. He got out and got used to the scenery. Rundown buildings, homeless people stalking the night screaming in madness, and drug addicts shooting themselves with Murk.

A drastic change from the friendly folk of the King's District and the Dragon Gardens District, home to those with pockets of gold. Michael was well-armed with a pistol enchanted with lightning magic. The magical bullet could chain bolts of lightning to nearby foes.

"Michael!" said a girl leaning against the window of the card shop.

"Crow," Michael said hugging her. Without warning, he buried his mouth in hers and slammed her against the wall. Crow shrieked but wrapped his arms around him. She felt him lift her skirt, exposing her black stockings. She removed her lips from his and gave a mischievous laugh as she placed a finger to his hungry lips.

"Is that your Archfiends taking over? Or are you just happy to see me?" she said with an uncontrollable giggle. "You've never done that to me before."

"Well," Michael said, sliding his hand up her thigh. He examined her from head to toe with a ravenous look on his face. "Can you blame me? After that one night we had, I can't help but feel like this around you. Not to mention Master Yu-Gi-Oh has chosen me to join the Alliance of Prince Yuri. Once he's crowned king, I'm going to be a Knight of the Royal Termnnian Table. I think I deserve a treat for this occasion."

He leaned forward to kiss her, but Crow turned her head so the kiss turned out to be nothing more than a peck on the cheek.

Crown sniggered through her nose. She gently pushed Michael back to give herself some space. "Easy there, Your Highness. We got some trading to do." She fixed her side ponytail and kissed him one last time. "Let's take care of some business here first, okay? These guys got some good loot. Once I get the card I need, we'll head for the clubs, have a few drinks, grind on the dance floor, and then you can take me back to your place."

Michael raised an eyebrow. "You know Mother doesn't like you in the castle."

He heard Terror King Archfiend mutter something awful in his hear. Michael looked into the night and shouted: "Shut up!" To which Crow crossed her arms and shook her head.

"What did he say?" she asked.

Michael looked around checking every dark corner of the streets around him. "He called me a mama's boy."

Crow laughed.

"Hey, stop that," Michael said sulking against the wall.

Crow sniggered, trying to suppress her laughter. She found his paranormal relationship with Terrorking Archfiend rather adorable. "Here's your card," she said. "Master King Archfiend. A LINK monster. I'm sure he'll serve you well...mama's boy."

Michael swiped the card from her grip and paid her with coins.

"Thank you, Michael, it was good doing business with you," Crow said, putting the coins into a pouch attached to her belt, giving Michael a good view of her waist. Crow noticed this and giggled. "Stop that. You're making me blush."

"You're so awesome," said Michael.

"Don't you forget it, sweet prince," Crow said with a wink. She puckered her lips and made a kissing gesture. "So, I have to ask. What's going on with your friend in Akuuda? I heard King Forrest sent additional forty-thousand men to their lands."

Michael sighed. "I don't know anything. Marcel hasn't answered my texts. Something bad must have happened to him."

Crow patted his hand. "I'm sure he'll be okay. But what about the hearing? I saw you on the news earlier." She straightened herself up and placed an arm behind her back as she mocked Zane during the press conference. "_People of Eredas. I am the Cyber Knight_."

Michael shrugged then reached into his pocket to pull out his phone. "That's his problem. Somehow, someone leaked the info about him for all to see. Now everyone in Termnnia knows he's been doing vigilante work late at night like a comic book hero. But they don't care about what he's been doing. He had to do what he had to do. But Goddesses know the Committee isn't calling him out for the security of the city. It's his Cyber Dragons that they want." He breathed air out the corner of his mouth, puffing his devil lock into the air. "This is all so frustrating."

Michael turned around and saw his companions standing outside the window beckoning them to get out and join them on the hunt for Aeon gang members. Michael nodded his head. He looked back at Crow. "Well, let's blow off some steam doing what we do best. Ready?"

"As I'll ever be, big guy," said Crow. "Let's send King a message."

Michael and Crow got up from their table and left the card shop to join their companions into the dark depths of the slums of Domino City. The sky had turned a pale shade of green, a side effect from so much magic being used by the Aeons, a ruthless gang of mages who started off small, but they began operations into the heart of Domino.

Their fire mages burned the parks and their water mages busted the sewer systems leaving Domino without clean water for many days. They got bolder, with some cells moving farther and farther into Domino. Recently a group began hunting and harassing girls from the all-female dueling academia in the Dragon Garden District.

"They call out to us every night from outside the walls," said Crow, a student herself from the academia. "They especially love to pester us during finals. They launch charms that then burst into an endless fireworks show and keep us up all night."

Michael could see the rage inside her as she walked. She had every reason to be mad, for the girls who were despoiled earlier that week were her two closest friends. As they neared a corner, another group of companions awaited them, ready for battle. Michael greeted the leader of the group, who was angered when he heard the news about the students. His sister attends that school, and he feared for her safety. He led Michael to a basketball court where more mages eager to fight the Aeons awaited.

Soon, Michael was leading an army of street mages through the slums. They paraded to the ports where the Aeons were said to reside. Sure enough, there they were in their little hangouts having a merry time.

Then, without rhyme or reason, thirteen extravagant swords appeared before Michael and danced around him in circles. Another appeared in the grip of his right hand. He used his left to create a ball of blue flames to which he enchanted the blade engulfing it in the flames.

The Thirteen Blades of the Kings of Eredas. Soon, when Michael would claim the crown, they would become a hundred. When a royal of House Dalton is born, they are given a blade that was forged on the eve of their birth.

Those swords would be given to the decedents, and so on and so on. Until stories were told of the Kings of Eredas going into battle with countless divine blades dancing into battle. All princes were allowed to have thirteen of those blades. The one Michael wielded now, was used by his grandfather who had departed for the Gardens two years ago.

Just as quickly as the blades appeared, they flew into the night and began impaling Aeons. Then fireballs and lightning bolts shot out of the darkness and struck the base. Aeons came running out, some holding guns. These individuals Michael ordered to be eliminated immediately. A squad of Sunborne mages ran out at his command and used telekinesis to create missiles of junk infused with fire magic that exploded when it impacted its target.

Zane soared overhead in his new armor. His Cyber Dragons hovered behind him, forcing many of the weaker Aeons to flee. Zane commanded them to attack. The dragons hissed and roared as they soared into the ruined apartment complexes to flush out the marksmen of the gang.

Fireballs hissed through the night, followed by the blinding flash of lightning magic. Michael with his thirteen blades was like a blur of black. The swords infused him with increased speed and strength. Trying to catch Michael, was like trying to grab smoke with their bare hands. The blades danced all around him, glowing in a brilliant white light with glittering sparks.

Crow sprinted for the waterfront where Michael was; for she wanted to fight with him and show him her new power. After many years as a devoted follower to Elsia the Winter Goddess, her faith was rewarded with a faithful servant. "Michael!" she called. "More Aeons are coming from the bay by boats!"

Michael ran up a wall and jumped, landing on top of a building. He ran to get a better vantage point of the bay and saw a fleet of six small boats with fresh mage punks, howling and cheering. They slammed the sides of their boats with baseball bats, chains, crowbars, anything they could find to break bones and draw blood.

An Aeon with a trench coat put one foot on the front of the boat like a conquering hero. He opened his palm and formed a purple arcane circle, which shot a ball of purple light. The light hovered next to a warehouse and formed into a rock monster with two cannons on its shoulders. A Barrel Rock.

The stone creature smashed the ground with its massive foot, sending out a shockwave that tossed Michael's mages like matchsticks. They flipped and smacked against the walls and ground. Michael could hear them groaning and crying out in agony, and his ears could pick up the arrogant cheering of the Aeons as they docked on the pier and ran for Michael's mages to do battle. Barrel Rock aimed its cannons at the Cyber Dragons and fired.

"Can I use End now?" Zane asked, peppering the eidolon with his new photon cannons mounted on his wrist.

Michael laughed. "No way. That will make this too easy."

"Still, this changes things," Crow said, from behind Michael. "What are we going to do? Our mages are still beginners and apprentices. There's no way they can take on that thing and the new wave of Aeons."

Michael sniggered and looked back at her. "No problem," he said. "Leave that monster to me." He opened his palm and from it, a swarm of bats flew out into the night by the thousands. The merged together to form the beast he was calling. Michael's mages cheered when they realized he had summoned his Terrorking Archfiend. The foul creature raised his blade of flesh and iron, then charged for Barrel Rock, slicing him in half and reducing him to rubble without effort.

Michael winced in agony, feeling his body getting drained of mana and energy. Terrorking Archfiend smashed his forearm against his sword and lumbered off to find more Aeons to slay. Michael breathed heavily and fell to his knees.

"Hey!" Crow called.

Michael turned. Crow tossed him a packet of rations and an energy drink to maintain his blood sugar.

"You summon the big guy too much, you know," Crow said. "Calling on Eidolons for a long period of time can kill you."

"Don't worry," Michael said, biting into a graham cracker. "I'm okay. You take our best fighters and attack the Aeons. By the way, you said you had something to show me?"

Crow smiled and nodded. She unbuttoned her shirt to reveal a pendant of platinum in the form of a snowflake. "You're gonna love me for this, My Prince," she said. Her hands were coated with frost. The air around her grew cold. So cold, Michael could start to see his own breath. A loud roar thundered from behind her.

"Impressive," said Michael, seeing the ice and snow that flew around Crow form into a beast summoned from a frozen dimension. "Whoa," he said, once the creature came into full form.

Dewloren, Tiger King of the Ice Barrier. Wasting no time, Crow climbed on top the Tiger King and kicked it into a spring toward the streets below to save her companions from the Aeons, who were coming in at full force.

Upon seeing Dewloren, many started to flee. Those brave enough tried to fight it back but to no avail. They could not cast their magic as fast as the monster could sprint. Crow leaped off Dewloren's back and cast a powerful blast of magic at the ground that crusted the ground with a thick layer of ice, trapping the Aeons by their ankles.

Dewloren roared, summoning a blizzard that locked the delinquent mages in coffins of ice. He roared again, sending out a great shockwave that shattered the frozen mages into a thousand pieces. Crow looked at her new monster in wonder. "I love you," she said.

Feeling confident with the monster's Michael and Crow summoned, the rest of the mages ran out of hiding and engaged the rest of the gang. I would like to call this fight a battle, but, in truth, it was a massacre.


	13. Zane's Trial

**Zane**

* * *

Zane was called on by the so-called 'pencil-necked' Senator Albert Smitt for the umpteenth time. Zane, who found this hearing a waste of time, was playing a mobile game called Duel Links so as to ignore the nonsense coming out of the senator's mouth. Senator Smitt could not take the boy's defiance any longer and smashed his gavel to get Zane to put the game down and pay attention.

"Mr. Truesdale do I have your full attention?" he asked.

Zane sighed and put the phone away. He narrowed his eyes in disgust just looking into saucer-like eyes of the man he and his father hated the most in all Domino. Zane jerked his head left and right and waved his hand over his face. "Do you ever blink?" he asked. "You're so creepy."

"Mr. Truesdale you will act appropriately while in the presence of the committee!" Senator Smitt said, trying to remain calm. He was getting terribly sweaty. The greasy oils which he used to keep his hair up started to melt, causing a few strands of hair to dangle over his eyebrows.

Zane shrugged and tucked his phone into his blazer. "Sure, whatever. What was the question again?"

Senator Smitt looked at his colleagues, who were beside themselves as to what to do to handle Zane's arrogance. Kicking him out of the Indigo Palace wasn't going to help them any. And clearly his antics were making them look impatient and weak, thereby losing whatever support they had to settle their case in forcing Zane to surrender his Cyber Dragon technology to the Royal Eredian Military.

"Very well, Mr. Truesdale. I will ask you again. Do you or do you not possess a weapon of mass destruction?"

"What?" Zane almost shouted. "Mass destruction? Are you out of your minds?"

"Just answer the question, Mr. Truesdale."

"Blink and maybe I will."

"Mr. Truesdale..."

"No!" Zane answered at once. "Weapon of mass destruction is way too dramatic a description to my devices."

Senator Smitt chuckled. "Devices. You make it sound like you are carrying a cell phone or something. Mr. Truesdale, _device_ is too weak a term to describe your so-called," he flipped through some pages. "Cyber Dragons. We here at the Committee would like to describe your Cyber Dragons as what they are. Weapons. They are weapons, Mr. Truesdale. Very powerful weapons with the destructive capabilities to incapacitate someone using what has been described as a Gem of Horakhty. I have here a report from Princess Alexis Rhodes, who owes you and your dragons many thanks for rescuing her. Of that this city is grateful. However, per her report, it says that your Cyber Dragons fused together to form a far more powerful beast. This...uh..." He flipped through the pages of the report. "Cyber Twin Dragon was able to disintegrate the arms of the Aeon gang leader, Aldric Netherheart, while he was using this gem."

The journalists attending the hearing gasped in shock.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let me rephrase that. Aldric Netherheart was fighting with increased capabilities thanks to his possession of a Gem of Horakhty. These gems are reported to hold the very power of the Goddesses. And for you, Mr. Truesdale, to wield weapons that can challenge that power is a matter of great distress. You claim to care about the citizens of this city. Then prove it. Hand the Cyber Dragon weapon over to the military and the Eredian people."

"No. Forget it. Those dragons are not just mere weapons, Senator. These creatures have life. They can think. They can feel. They can even show love."

"How sentimental," said the senator.

"You can't have them, Senator. Period!"

"That is not up to you. Fellow members of the Committee, I would like to call forth an esteemed expert on weapons of war. Mr. Veran Jayce the CEO of Jayce Tech and his Royal Majesty's most prestigious weapons manufacturer."

"Prince Michael would like to disagree on that notion," said Zane.

The arrogant, young, arms dealer laughed as he sucked on a cherry lollipop. He was so calm and confident about acquiring Zane's dragons that he had his feet comfortably placed on the table. One of his exotic secretaries was giving him a backrub. When it was time for him to take the stage, he shooed her off and promised to meet her later at his penthouse. He took off his red iridium lensed sunglasses and hung them from the vest underneath his blazer.

"I'll bet your buddy, the Prince, would like to disagree on that notion," said Jayce. "After all, I did put him out of the business. He's an amateur. But I don't care what you or Prince Michael think of me."

Zane slammed his fist on the table. "Get to the point, asshole!"

Senator Smitt slammed the gavel three times. "Mr. Truesdale will refrain from making any more outbursts."

Jayce cleared his throat. "As I was saying. This isn't about me. This isn't even about you, Zane. This is about the people of Eredas. This is about their safety, which you are jeopardizing, my old friend. Look, what you've created is a marvel of technology. Why I'll admit it even outshines anything I make by more than a decade. For months, you have taken to the streets as the 'great hero' The Cyber Knight. Don't get me wrong, Zane, we are all thankful. Thanks to you, crime in Domino City has dwindled by more than 30%. Bad guys are afraid to come out at night because they know you'll be on their asses..." He snapped his fingers. "BAM! Like that. For the first time since forever, girls walk with their friends in places deemed unsafe before the Cyber Knight came to save the day. I saw kids playing at sundown in the industrial district. A place were Aeons and other criminal thugs used to prowl the streets."

He paced back in forth in front of a screen, showing of security camera footage of the Cyber Dragons aiding Zane in wiping out crime in the streets of Domino. "But, ladies and gentlemen, as benign as Zane's intentions are, he has created a weapon with fantastical features and unlimited possibilities. Observe."

He pointed at a screen that holographically appeared above him. "Look here. He combined his dragons to form into an even more powerful beast. Lately, he has created something that far and away exceeds the power of the Cyber Twin Dragon that defeated the user of the Gem of Horakhty. Ladies and gentlemen. Behold. The Cyber End Dragon."

The crowd oohed and ahhed.

"It is thanks to this creature that the gangs living in the Hills of Venback outside the walls of the city, were wiped out in seconds. A gang of all-powerful mages who could turn this city to ash in seconds, just gone. One hundred lives just gone in the blink of an eye. Zane, I believe in you, I really do. We all do. But these weapons are a great responsibility. One that is far too great for any one man to carry. Zane. Do the right thing, buddy. Give them to the people you wish to protect. Long live the King. Goddesses Praise Eredas. And Goddesses Bless Zane."

The chamber erupted in applause. Jayce turned and bowed pretentiously.

"You're going to make me sick," said Zane. "And not for nothing but you just proved my point. My Cyber Dragons are efficient! They're working! Had it not been for them, Princess Alexis would be a sex slave right now. Had it not been for them, Aldric would have overthrown King Eldon and put us in open war with Lorin. Had it not been for my dragons, crime would not have decreased by 30%. Oh, no wait. That's false information. Statistics show that crime has decreased by 64%. You ass clowns just played yourselves, hiring this imbecile to testify against me. Come on, you can do better than that."

Jayce sunk into his seat. He could not believe what he had just done. His theatrics and presentation just proved Zane's point that his Cyber Dragons were a great benefit to the security and stability of Domino City.

The Senator started to lose his cool as the audience clapped and cheered in Zane's favor. He smashed his gavel, calling for order. "If there's a point you're trying to make Mr. Truesdale, please..."

"My point is you can't have my property, asshole! You want them? Too bad. Make your own. Oh, that's right, you can't. And I'm late for a brunch with my brilliant and beautiful engineer, Kara. Now if you'll excuse me."

"Mr. Truesdale sit down!" shouted Senator Smitt. "Mr. Truesdale you are not excused."

"Senator, enough," said one of his colleagues. "Don't make this even worse than it already is."

Zane turned around, flicked him off, and walked away. He burst through the doors to an adoring crowd. Kara ran to him and hugged him tightly.

"That was so great!" she shouted.

"It was nothing," said Zane, leading her out of the building. "Man, I feel so pumped. Wanna go somewhere?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, we're going on vacation. Come on. Let's go somewhere sunny. I'm getting tired of chocolates and snow."

"Zane. What about Project Infinity? I mean, Prince Marcel is about to send us what we need for it." She swallowed. "Well, more than enough of what we need. He's being way too generous."

"Well, we just kicked the Naralians out of his country, so of course he'll be generous with their precious ore. This is working out even better than I ever imagined. And this is just the start, my friend. Amazing things are going to happen soon. And Project Infinity. It's just the start."

"I look forward to it, boss," Kara said, clinging to his arm. "You know, you're right. A vacation sounds good right about now."

Zane chuckled. "Get your stuff ready then, kiddo. We're leaving in an hour."


	14. Trouble in Paradise

**Zane**

* * *

As soon as they made it to the lab upstairs in the top floors of the House of Gray, Kara darted up the steps to her room to gather her things for their trip to the Citrus Island Kingdom far south from Domino. Meanwhile, Zane took off his coat and set it on the back of his chair. He approached his three Cyber Dragons who were attached to the platform with large cables.

"Hey, guys!" Zane called out loud so they could hear him.

The dragons hissed and looked down at their creator and friend. They stood up straight, doing so made Zane feel so horribly small. They were such big creatures. But, he loved them anyway. He didn't want anyone to know, but he grew awfully fond of those dragons. There was absolutely no way he would allow the Eredian military to get their hands on them. He would never allow it. Especially not with Veran Jayce as the lead contractor for the Glass Towers, the headquarters of Eredas's Department of Defense.

"You guys were awesome last week. But now I think it's time for a little R&R, don't you think?"

The dragons looked at each other in confusion.

Zane laughed. "Come on, guys. We're going on vacation."

The middle Cyber Dragon reared its head up and opened its mouth. However, instead of a roar, music started to play.

**_I'm so excited…_**

It then started to sway its head back and forth as if it was dancing to the music. To Zane's shock, the other two Cyber Dragons reared their heads up and followed along with it. He heard Kara laughing behind him. He turned and gave her a serious look.

"Well, I wonder who programmed that into them."

Kara hunched her shoulders bashfully and giggled. "What? I think they needed a nice taste in music."

"You are such an idiot," laughed Zane as the dragons danced around to the music.

After they packed their things, Zane opened the spiraled door to his lab and his dragons soared out into the cold afternoon. "Nel-E," said Zane. "You up, old girl?"

A small, holographic, blue, female sprite appeared on his desk. "I am, Master Zane. It's good to be back.

"Oooo, pretty," said Kara, leaning forward to the see the hologram. "I see that aside from some upgrades to her hardware, you gave her a body, Zane. She's absolutely beautiful."

Nel-E bowed and said: "Thank you, Miss Kestrel. Yes, I have been upgraded. Thanks to Zane, I am allowed to fully access the Cyber Dragon's combat suites. If the need arises, I will take full control of them. I assure you, my intervening will increase their capabilities by 110%. Thanks to the firewalls I have personally designed myself, any hacker attempting to break through to your dragons will be met with a fate worse than the one that shut me down. Speaking of which, I apologize for failing to locate the leaker. And I apologize again for allowing him to access our databanks and getting the info about you both. My failure put the both of you in jeopardy. Kara was kidnapped because of my failure to stop the leaker. I am sorry. If only I had been a little more competent."

"Don't say such a thing!" said Kara. "That's the curse about technology. There's always something better out there. But that only means you'll get better, too. And you have. Well, done."

"I will do my best to ensure your safety," said Nel-E.

"Aww," crooned Kara. She stood straight up and looked at Zane. "Zane, please tell me she's coming with us."

"Of course, she is," said Zane. "Nel-E and I are a team. Wherever I go. She goes."

"Yay!" Kara cheered, clapping her hand. "Give me a minute while I integrate her to my HUD. I wanna see that pretty face as I work."

The doorbell of his room rang elegantly. "Aw, man," groaned Zane. "Make it quick. I've got to get this." He went downstairs. "And turn that thing off my dragons!" he commanded loudly over the music. His dragons were still dancing. Zane answered the door and paused. There was a young lad wearing a long, dark coat with extended shoulders marked with gold engraving. He had messy blue hair and wore small spectacles. "Syrus?" said Zane.

"Hey, bro," Syrus said quietly.

"Well, what can I do for you? I see you're taking a liking to that new position in the board of directors."

"If they didn't pay with me with large sums of cash, I would quit. It's not like I doing anything there. I just sit with them because my last name is Truesdale."

Zane scoffed. "Dad is desperate to make you look professional that he actually pays the board to keep you there for show? He acts like that corrupted pervert from Earth who did something similar to his son."

"What pervert?" asked Syrus.

"You know, that creepy guy who talks about kids touching his hairy legs."

Syrus raised an eyebrow.

"Nevermind. What are you doing here? Uh..." Syrus just stepped inside without Zane's permission. "Won't you come in."

Syrus stopped to look at a portrait of him, Zane, and their parents. He turned and said: "Zane, dad's really concerned about you acting like some superhero. Not to mention your dragons cost you tons and tons of money."

"My money," said Zane. "I didn't use company funds."

"I understand," said Syrus. "But still, it's a lot of resources. It's making your shares lose tremendous value. Not to mention all this publicity you're bringing with all this hero work. The phones are ringing off the hooks with people wanting to have an interview with you. Or should I say the Cyber Knight. Look, Zane, I'm going to get straight to the point. Dad's worried this will interfere with your career as a professional Duelist and as future CEO of Truesdale Enterprises."

"See, Syrus, dad thinks I'm you. I'm not. Unlike you, I can multitask."

"Zane, stop it. This isn't about me and you. This is about the family name. Your dragons could bring us great harm."

"How?"

"Your little stunt with the Senate this morning wasn't cool. The Department of Defense is shutting down contracts with us until you surrender the Cyber Dragons."

"Albert Smitt is just making a temper tantrum," Zane replied with a chuckle. "The fool that he is. He's just scared my Cyber Dragons will put his poster boy, Varen Jayce, out of business. Why else do you think they want them so bad? And remember, Jayce is their lead provider of arms and tech. They're going to hand them over to him so he can give them shiny little upgrades of his own. Or downgrades if you consider that pea-brain's lack of creativity."

"Zane this is serious! Dad wants you to turn in your Cyber Dragons to him instead."

"You've got to be kidding me."

"Look, they were built with company resources."

"Legally purchased by me. It's not my fault dad turned a blind eye to the project and was obsessed with the money it got him. Ah, see what I did there? I just pointed out one of dad's major flaws. Greed, which is why a second-rate company like Jayce Tech is under contract to the Department and not us. Don't make this harder than it is, Sye. My dragons are staying with me."

"But Zane…"

"No buts about it, kid. Now if there's nothing else you need, there's the door. I have a boat to catch. I'm going on holiday."

Syrus breathed heavily out his nose and pushed his glasses back up his nose. "I just hope you know what you're doing big bro."

* * *

Zane, and Kara, at last, made it to the Citrus Islands. After so many months of hard work, they would finally get a break. After they got settled in their hotel, it was off to the beach. The both of them tapped their glasses at a beachside bar with frozen daiquiris to sip.

"I couldn't have done this without you, Kara," said Zane. "I've learned a lot thanks to you."

"It was my pleasure, Zane. I'm thankful that you chose me to tag along on this little adventure of yours. But, if you don't mind, I want to talk a little...business."

"Sure."

"I want to talk about Sieger."

"Oh no, this again?"

"Come on, Zane. I know how the dragons work. I practically built them for you. I think I deserve to help you out on the field."

"I don't know, Kara. It's some pretty risky stuff. And I don't want anything happening to you. There are some really nasty folk out there and..."

"Zane!" Veran Jayce called from the crowd of beachgoers around the bar. "Zane Truesdale. Buddy."

Zane sighed. "Speaking of nasty folk. Hold that thought, Kara."

"But…"

"Not now. We'll talk about this later. Okay."

Jayce moseyed his way toward Zane and Kara. He had a lovely young lady by his side, clad in a royal red bikini. Judging by her hair; resembling gold silk, peachy skin, and her eyes like two brilliant diamonds, she was of the Lionhearts, a race of fair-faced, golden-haired folk from the province of Leorealm in Feldia, Home of the Dinosaur Lords.

"Zane, so good to see ya!" Jayce said shaking his hand. He looked at Kara and straightened his tie. "Well. This must be that wiz-kid I heard so much about. Kara Kestrel." He peered over his sunglasses to examine her thoroughly, marveling the navy-blue swimsuit Kara wore.

"My legs are just fine," said Kara, tugging her pareo down to block them from his view.

"That's not all about you that's fine," joshed Jayce. "Rrrrrow. Well, anywho. Zane. Miss Kestrel. Allow me to introduce Kendrix von Leonholde. Baronettess of the Red Plains. And cover girl for this month's Secret Garden catalog. I trust your engineer knows all about that."

"Kara?" Zane turned to look at her.

She shrugged. "I needed to find something to help pay for school. How are you doing, Kendrix? Long-time no see."

"I can't complain," she replied, shaking Kara's hand. "Looks like you've made quite a name for yourself. I was impressed when you started designing those Ion Cannon defense systems for Domino City. But to be inventing Cyber Dragons for Zane Truesdale? My, my, you've been doing very well for yourself it seems. Congratulations on all your hard work. From what I understand you've got every arms dealer from here to Gardenrealm throwing money at you for those Cyber Dragons. Do you plan on putting them up on the market, Mr. Truesdale?"

"No. They're not for sale. I'm pretty sure I made that clear in the hearing last week."

Kendrix laughed. "Oh, of course."

"Let's not talk about that," said Jayce. He put an arm over her shoulder.

"Dear, you didn't think you could persuade the Senate by showing off the good Zane's Cyber Dragons accomplished, did you? No offense, but that was some pretty poor showmanship on your part."

"I had to do what I had to do," said Jayce. "And no more jabs at the old ego, or you'll find yourself in the House of Flowers again."

"Oh, you wouldn't do that," laughed Kendrix. "Zane. If you don't mind, I would love to schedule an interview with you and Miss Kara some time. I work as a journalist for Zexan Business Magazine. My superiors would be absolutely thrilled to have a story about you on the columns."

"Sounds interesting," said Zane. "I'll consider it."

"Oh, please do! Not to mention you'll be making the president of the Cyber Dragon Fan Club, very, very happy."

"There's a Cyber Dragon fan club?" Kara asked.

"Yes!" Kendrix replied giggling. She smiled awkwardly to hide her embarrassment, not believing that she was about to reveal the truth about the organization. "I started it."

"How many members do you have?" Zane asked with a chuckle.

"Oh, just me. I would have loved for Jayce to join, but naturally, he said no. Business comes first when it comes to you two, blokes. The competition is fierce."

"That's where you're wrong, babe," Jayce said, silencing her by swatting her buttocks. "Zane and I are like partners. We're chums. We go way back. He and I went to King Delethon's Science High School together. Naturally, Zane was ahead of the game. Someone had to finish first."

"Someone had to finish last, too," said Zane.

"Ah," Jayce said, snapping his fingers and pointed at Zane. "I see you, Zane. I see you. See what I mean, babe? Zane's always one step ahead of the game."

Kendrix nodded. "So I see. Zane. I see you're in your swimming shorts. Why not come join me for a swim? We can talk about the interview. Or how about those Cyber Dragons. Word on the street is you ave more models in the works."

"That's classified," said Zane.

"Oh, then perhaps I could find ways to persuade you."

"You can sure as hell try," Zane said, taking her by the arm and leading her to the beach.

Jayce turned to look at Kara and admired her figure again. "Sweet. So, uh, listen, sweetheart." He leaned against the bartop. "I predict your buddy, Zane, is going to go out of business really soon. Trust me, that hearing was just a minor setback. My friends in the Department of Eredian Defenses want those Cyber Dragons. And they always get what they want. If I were you - and damn, I wish I was - I'd start looking for a new employer."

Kara rolled her eyes as she sipped her daiquiri. "You mean you?"

Jayce smiled. "I would love to have you over at Jayce Tech. Who wouldn't want someone as talented as you in their employment? I mean you're just so badass, girl. Former Secret Garden model turned inventor for a billionaire vigilante. A beautiful genius creating powerful weapons of war. I mean, come on. That is so wicked. You would make a very nice addition to the team. Not to mention the prospect of a pretty thing like you making suits for the Eredian Army will make for good publicity."

"You're kidding?"

"Hell no, Kestrel." He handed her his business card. "I mean it. I would love to have you aboard. And you'll find your compensation and benefits package to be far more satisfying than what Zane pays you. I guarantee it. Not to mention we have a sweet dental."

"I'm sure you do." Kara slid her empty glass toward the bartender and asked for a refill. "But I'm not in this for the money. I'm not sure if you've been paying attention in that ivory tower of yours in the King's District, but we're at war with a very fascist ideology. I'm talking about the Church of Yeyu. With the Emerald Fire party winning the election, they've gone completely out of control. Zane promises to keep those dogs on a leash with his dragons. Not to mention our streets are filthy with criminal scum. Duel Gangs. Sex trafficking, the drug trade, the slave trade. Organized crime. No. This means more to us than getting a fat check. So long as our home is safe and our culture stands strong against those cultists, we're just fine the way we are."

"And that's very noble of you, Kara. Admirable. It almost turns me on."

"Oh, Goddesses."

"Think of the good you can do building suits for the men and women of the Eredian Armed Forces, girl. At least thing about it."

"I don't think so," said Kara.

She got up and left him to join Zane and Kendrix in the water. But she didn't get far, for a massive explosion rocked the beach. People screamed and darted around for safety. Another explosion pummeled the sand, this time it was close to Kara, knocking her off her feet. She flipped through the air and landed on the sand with a thud. Ear ears rang and her head throbbed in terrible agony.

"Kara!" Zane shouted. He waded out of the surf towards her. She didn't seem injured, but she was having a terrible time getting up. He darted across the beach until he reached her. "Kara! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she groaned. "Shit, that wasn't fun. What the hell is going on?"

"I don't know…" Zane froze when he saw a figure casually walking down the sand armed with an exoskeleton of his own equipped with shouldered plasma revolvers and wrist-mounted ion cannons. He was tall, broad-shouldered, and sported a bandanna over his blond hair resembling the flag of a country from Earth. His triangle-shaped eyes were concealed behind black sunglasses. The dark lenses were glowing blue from the custom HUD he had built into them.

"It's Bandit Keith!" shouted Zane.

"He's supposed to be in prison!" yelled Kara.

Zane pressed a button on his watch. A loud sonic boom rocked the beach, causing more people to run for their lives. A loud roar echoed from the clouds. Zane's three Cyber Dragons dove out of the sky, zooming towards Bandit Keith. He merely grinned and shouldered a giant quad-missile launcher which he carried like a suitcase on his right hand. A scope slowly came out from the side. The launcher's systems locked on to Zane's dragons despite their armor was outfitted with stealth coating. The missiles seemed to whistle as they were launched. They broke apart and formed hundreds, each one locked on to a Cyber Dragon.

The Cyber Dragons broke formation and scattered. The missiles chased after them. One of them wasn't fast enough and was struck. Bandit Keith pumped up his fist in victory and whistled as the dragon fell and crashed on the beach.

"You!" Bandit Keith shouted. "So you're the hotshot everybody's talking about, huh? Ha! You don't look so tough. You think your Cyber Dragons are tough. Let me show you some real firepower!"

He typed something on the computer mounted on his wrist. Two range containers carried by trucks billowed smoke and burst open. From inside, two mechanical dragons roared and stepped out. Their snouts formed the barrel of a cannon as did their arms. One was able to fire kinetic rounds and the other was equipped with photon blasters.

"My Barrel Dragons are going to be more than a match for yours, Cyber Dweeb!" shouted Bandit Keith. "Watch as I send them to the scrap heap where they belong!"


	15. Flight of the Cyber Dragons

The Cyber Dragons split off around the squad of Barrel Dragons and hit them with a constant barrage of Strident Blasts. The Barrel Dragon's armor was proving a little too tough. Zane was distracted by this and didn't see Bandit Keith rushing towards him. He raised his fist and smacked Zane hard on the chestplate. Zane slid a dozen feet and used his heels to brake to a stop.

Jayce, cowering behind Kara, was amazed when he saw this. "Wow! Incredible power!"

Kendrix ran back towards them and slid under the table. "What is that?" she shouted. "What's going on?"

"That's Bandit Keith!" cried Kara. "Stay down! Let Zane take care of this."

"I don't know," said Jayce. "He's doing a really crappy job. If we had one of my weapons, this wouldn't be happening."

Bandit Keith cracked his knuckles and then shot Zane with his Ion cannons. Zane knelt down and slammed his fist on the ground, creating a hexagon-tiled bubble shield that stopped the attack. He then deactivated the shield and his iridescent cybernetic wings formed and he rocketed towards Bandit Keith. He smashed into him and tackled him to the ground. Zane was ready to punch him, but Keith held up his wrist and activated a holographic green shield. When Zane touched it, he felt his energy being drained. Alarms beeped in his HUD and his suit's limbs displayed in front of him and revealed that his left arm, the arm he used to strike Keith, was turning red. The rest of his suit went from green to yellow.

"What's happening to him?" asked Jayce.

"He's losing power!" Kara cried out. She ran for her backpack, hanging on a rack in the wall of the bar. Quickly, she opened it and pulled out a steel-encased laptop, which she unlocked with a passcode.

"What's that?" Jayce asked.

"Plan B," she said. "Oh, Zane's gonna kill me for this."

Something underneath the waves started glowing and slithered towards the beach. It finally breached and revealed itself. Kara's pet project was finally active. Cyber Dragon Sieger. The crowd shouted and pointed at the new beast coming out from under the water. It flew over the waves, water dripping from its smooth, metallic form. When it roared, neon blue lights and circuit board patterns lit up. Another metallic screech echoed from the sky. Another Cyber Dragon flew down from a blanket of puffy, white, clouds. Cyber Dragon Nachster. It fired a laser from its mouth, striking Bandit Keith and sending him flying towards the dunes at great speed. He smashed into the ground, sending a column of sand into the air.

Sieger immediately soared towards the squad of Barrel Dragons. The Barrel Dragons roared when they noticed it. They fired, but Sieger seemed to teleport here and there. He appeared behind one of the kinetic cannon Barrel Dragons and squeezed it with its coils. It then fired a laser down the Barrel Dragon's mouth, melting its insides and turning it to scrap.

A Barrel Dragon with photon cannons scurried towards Sieger. The new Cyber Dragon saw this and threw the scrapped Barrel Dragon at it. The force was strong enough to cause the Barrel Dragon to explode.

Zane stood up and typed something into his wrist-mounted computer. A tower rose from his shoulder and started glowing bright blue. The three Cyber Dragons flew towards him and hovered under the tower, which shot out a stream of blue light. The dragons then melded into one.

The crowd whistled and cheered, finally feeling a sense of safety when Cyber End Dragon materialized into the world.

"There it is!" shouted Jayce. He looked at the massive, three-headed Cyber Dragon. It fired its beams at one of the Barrel Dragons and atomized it with one blast. Kara, again, typed something on her laptop. From their yacht, docked a mile from where they were, something launched out of the cargo hold.

"Photon Generator Unit is active!" she said. "Sieger! Use the Pharos and merge with it!"

Cyber Dragon Sieger roared and flew towards Zane and he stood under the light of the tower, which Jayce realized was a travel-sized model of the Cyber Pharos that Zane created many months ago when he fought Aldric. The Photon Generator Unit flew towards Sieger and then hovered in front of him. Zane smashed his fist against his palm and the two machines fused, creating Cyber Laser Dragon.

"Nachster, it's your turn!" shouted Zane. "Attack Reflector Unit! Engage!"

Mirrors flew out from the cargo hold of Zane's yacht. They hovered over Zane and then Nachster flew towards them. They fused together to create Cyber Barrier Dragon.

"Three new Cyber Dragons!" cried Jayce. "You've been busy. Do you have my card? Do you have my number? Please say you'll work for me." He went down on his knees and wrapped his arms around Kara's waist, his face was uncomfortably close to her belly. "Please! Please! Please! I need you!"

"Get off me you creep!"

Bandit Keith fired his Ion Cannons at Zane. But Cyber Barrier Dragon flew down and activated a pinkish force field that deflected the attack and bounced them back at him. Keith dodged, rolling out of the way, but he was still too close to the blasts, which caused him to fly through the air. He flipped a few times and smashed into a picnic table.

"I should have continued my work...in America," he moaned in agony.

Cyber Laser Dragon and Cyber End Dragon worked together to destroy the last remaining Barrel Dragons. People crowded around them and cheered, some young ones were even bold to take quick selfies with the dragons fighting behind them. Cameras flashed like lightning, reflecting brightly on the Cyber Dragon's metallic surfaces.

Zane flew towards Bandit Keith and ripped out his exoskeleton's core computer and smashed it. When he did, a squad of officers swarmed towards him and arrested him. Another round of applause thundered around the beach.

* * *

When the night fell, Zane and Kara retreated to the yacht to rest. Kendrix followed to join them for dinner. She said Jayce was starting to act odd and retreated back to his starship and flew back to Domino, leaving her. Kara disappeared for a while, leaving Zane alone with Kendrix, who was tending to Zane's wounds. She placed an ice pack on Zane's shoulder. He cringed from the sting and bit his lip to fight it back until his body relaxed and got used to the chill.

"He hit you hard, huh?" Kendrix said, still clad in her bikini. Though she was safe, she was still shaken by what had happened when Bandit Keith attacked and didn't think to change, nor dress her wounds. She was covered in sand and had a few scratches on her arms and minor burns on her legs.

"You should get that looked at," Zane said, pressing his hand against the ice pack.

"It's nothing," Kendrix said. "You were...you were really impressive out there. Your Cyber Dragons sure are something special."

"Thanks. I wonder who gave Bandit Keith the funds to build those things? And his own exoskeleton."

"I know. I am worried about this as well. What if someone else builds those things?"

"That's what I'm afraid of. The leaker who exposed my stuff to the public a few weeks ago has made things difficult for me. I wouldn't be surprised if the Senate will use this attack to try and take my Cyber Dragons. If a lowly criminal like Bandit Keith can build these things, who knows. Imagine if someone more capable built something like this."

"It's disturbing, yes," said Kendrix. "But you must rest now. I'll get dressed and order us some food. Want anything?"

"I'll pick myself," said Zane. "You go clean yourself up and head to the medical wing so you can have those burns looked at."

"Thank you, Zane. If you could drop me off at Port North Star, I would greatly appreciate it."

"Sorry about Jayce," chuckled Zane. "You should have known better than to date him."

"Meh, it's not like I was into him. Had to do it for the publicity after all. But let me tell you something, Zane. It's not wise to always look down on him. Jayce is a creep, but don't underestimate him. He's smarter than you think and is very resourceful. He always has something up his sleeve."

"I know," said Zane. "Off you go. See to those burns."

"Yes," Kendrix said, walking towards the bathroom to change into some clothes Kara left her.

Zane left her room and went to go look for Kara. He went to her quarters, but she was not there. Odd. She was usually in bed at this hour. It wasn't like her to stay up too late into the night. He looked around the yacht and still couldn't find her. He entered the lounge, hoping to find her there. Nothing. Now he was getting worried. Then, he heard something that filled his heart with fear.

A loud thump followed by a blood-curdling scream. "Kara?"

Another scream followed by a crashing sound. It came from upstairs in the master bedroom. His room. Zane hurried up the spiral staircase. The crashing and screaming continued. Once he got to the top of the stairs, he heard nothing. An eerie silence followed. Zane drew the pistol he had holstered on his waistband and waited to hear the noise. Nothing. He kicked the door open. What he saw horrified him. The room was a helter-skelter mess. He then saw that there was someone lying in his bed. A young man saw Zane and screamed. Zane screamed as well and aimed his weapon at him.

Just then the door to the bathroom opened. It was Kara. She was damp and had a white towel wrapped around herself.

"Zane!" she cried. "Zane, wait! Don't shoot! This...uh...woo. I have a lot of explaining to do."

"Damn right, you do! What's going on here?"

"Zane, come on. This is my fiance, Derek."

"Uh, hello," Derek said, holding out his hand. He wrapped the sheets around his waist. "Uh, nice to meet you. I've heard so much about you."

"Yeah, nice to meet you," Zane said, tucking the gun away before he shook his hand. "What are you doing here in my room?"

"Come on, Zane," Kara whined, jumping into bed with Derek. "You know that small shack doesn't fit my needs. You got everything in here and we really want to use your jacuzzi."

"I can't imagine why." Zane scratched his chin. "Scratch that. I don't want to."

"Oh, I could use your kitchen as well," said Derek.

"You can cook?"

"He owns a five-star restaurant in the Dragon Garden's District," Kara said, tracing his bicep with her finger. "And he was once a chief engineer at Paradias."

"The place run by Dartz?" Zane asked. "Hmm. Why did you leave?"

"Too much crunch time," said Derek. "It was getting uncomfortable. They were building a massive warship or something. I don't know. Not long after we started putting it together, the head of the project vanished with his family and were never seen again. The project was put on hold and I quit afterward. I met Kara not long after it was revealed you two were in cahoots in this Cyber Dragon project. I just had to get on board. My friend, too. Her name is Rosita, an engineer from Feldia."

"Are they qualified?" Zane asked, looking at Kara with disdain.

"Of course, they are," Kara said at once. "How do you think we got Cyber Laser Dragon and Barrier Dragon to work at maximum efficiency?"

"You mean they did that?"

"Yes. Come on, Zane. Let them stay. They are geniuses! You won't regret it, I promise."

"Well...so long as you don't employ any more people without my knowledge, they can stay. I'll interview you both personally when we get back to Domino."

"We're leaving?" Kara asked in disappointment. "But we just got here. I thought we were on vacation."

"As of now, it's canceled. We've got work to do, Kara."

* * *

**Jayce**

* * *

He waited for quite some time in the ballroom of his luxury towers for his guest to arrive. He had a dinner planned for him and everything. The candles he had lit a while back were now the size of a child's finger. The butlers he had standing in line ready to serve them had to change shifts because they were getting tired of standing.

The hour was of late and Jayce was afraid this meeting was too good to be true. He dug into his golden up of ice cream covered in caramel and ate it with one gulp. He looked at his watch. Still, there was no sign of him.

Just then, the door opened. One of his butlers opened the door. He was quivering in fear as a figure walked into the ballroom. He wore black and red armored robes and his face was concealed behind a red-visored mask that was flashing with a HUD displaying information to him.

"There he is!" Jayce said standing up. "The man of the hour. Come, come. Have a seat."

The masked boy said nothing and stood still for a moment. Jayce eventually sat down thinking that he probably wanted to stand and talk, but then the masked figure walked forward, pulled up a chair and sat down.

"Help yourself," said Jayce. "Let's see what we've got here. We got lobster, scalloped potatoes, steak, burgers, roast chicken. Of course, you're welcome to order anything you want. My cooks can get it for ya."

"I'm not hungry," the masked figure said. He sounded young, but he had a low, scratchy voice, which sounded even more distorted through the coms of his helmet.

"Of course, of course. But it's all there in case you change your mind. Will you ever take that thing off."

"No."

"I can respect that. Now, you said you want to do some business with me. You got something that will make Zane run up a tree like a frightened cat, eh?"

"Yes. But let me ask you this. Are you capable of creating such a weapon?"

"Of course we are. You know I've got all the contracts in the Department of Eredian Defense. My tech has allowed men and women in uniform to combat the Orcs attacking our colonies in the Terminus Islands. We aided the farmers outside the wall with bandit raids and…"

"Are you capable of handling a weapon such as this?" the masked figure interrupted.

"You betcha," Jayce answered at once, digging in for more ice cream. He spoke with his mouth full. "We are capable of building any weapon you can think of. We've got something in development that can take down those Kaiju monsters roaming around Dragonheart City to the north of here. My baby is gonna send those oversized beasts packing, you'll see."

"You are sure of yourself," said the masked figure. "Very well. I will give it to you. But we warned this is no ordinary machine."

He held out his palm and showed him a puck that displayed a purple hologram of a strange, dragon-shaped beast.

"Allow me to introduce...Cyberdark Dragon."

"Ooo, me likey!" said Jayce.

"This is not a toy," the masked figure said, displeased with Jayce's child-like attitude. "This creature not only has the power to challenge Zane but the Dragon Summoner as well."

"No kidding? This thing can take on Lady Avi's True Dragons? You sure about that?"

"Yes. True Dragons are powerful, but they can still be killed. She is your main target. Eliminate her and you will be rewarded. However, you must deal with Zane first. His Cyber Dragons are proving to be a matter of great concern to my client."

"I'll take him down and more," said Jayce, taking the puck so he could get a better look at the design for the Cyberdark Dragon. "Just leave everything to me."


End file.
